Saviors from the Past
by escapistone
Summary: Anakin Solo Runs away From Home and Ends up becoming Someone he never thought he'd be AU Chap 40 UP. Find out what Happens to Anakin, Obi-wan and the rest. Finally COMPLETED!
1. Anakin Runs Away

Alright, this story starts off when Anakin Solo is eight years old. I didn't read the YJK series, so if something contradicts those, just assume the story is AU. Which it is anyway, so I guess that pretty much negates the first sentence.  

  Also, Its been a long time since I've read some of my Star wars books set after ROTJ, so I probably have some details wrong.

    Lucas etc own all of the characters. I don't own any. I'm not making any money.

     Anakin Solo fought down another sob as he wound his way through the lower levels of Coruscant. It had started out to be a perfect day. His Uncle Luke had come over to celebrate the twins birthday. They were all in Mom's big fancy apartment. There had been lots of presents and a huge birthday cake.  Just the wrapping paper had fascinated Anakin. Especially the shiny metallic ones, those reminded him of the shiny ships that flew around outside the big window in the apartment. The best part had been when he got to give his gifts. He had worked hard on them for weeks, rummaging through discarded parts to make great ship models for both of his siblings. He had been so happy as he sat next to his Dad watching the twins open his gifts to them. 

     The cake had been great, and Uncle Luke had even taught him how to feel the presence of the potted plant while Chewie tried to get a good picture of the twins and his parents.

    Everything had been perfect, he was so tired from the festivities that he didn't even complain when his Dad told him to go to bed. He had woken up a half hour later. Felling the need for a glass of water, he tip toed to the kitchen to fill his water glass. He was about to go in when he heard his siblings. They were talking about all the cool gifts they'd gotten. The proud grin that covered his face shattered when his big brother Jacen made a comment about the present Anakin had given him. Mom hadn't had any trouble telling the model X-wing apart from a model Bothan!

     Upset, Anakin went back to his room to cry. But, he wasn't supposed to cry. Jedi were supposed to be calm like his Uncle Luke.  With a frown he realized that he couldn't be a Jedi any more than he could build ships. He couldn't be a space captain like his Dad; Dad never cried not even when Mom hit him over the head with her lightsaber hilt for coming home late. Anakin Solo was a _failure. _

     There was no use in staying around when he would never be good enough, so he put on his favorite outfit, and snuck out of his room. He might not be able to build models, but he knew the code to the front door. Climbing on top of the small chair his Mom had by the door, he reached over and put in the code. Then, he just started walking, thinking about how much better his family would be without him. Thinking about his failures in life. Thinking about why in the Force all those funny ladies kept leaning into speeder windows. Tired and cold, Anakin curled up next to a garbage dumpster and tried to get warm. Only to be woken up by a familiar female voice.

     Getting up and following the voice down the alley, Anakin saw the owner give a credit chip to a rather small Rodian. The Rodian handed over a package and scurried off. Just as the woman was also about to leave, Anakin called out to her. "Callista?" The blonde woman whirled around steely eyes scouring for the small child. 

      Anakin started to move towards her. "Why would you want to buy hot merchandise? Doesn't it burn your fingers?"

    Callista whipped out her blaster and for a moment considered shooting the Solo brat dead on the spot. Thinking twice, she lowered herself to be eye level with the kid. "Of course not sweetie," she spoke, voice laced with sugar "Why don't you come and see?"

     Anakin tumbled forward. When he reached her, he looked inquisitively at the box. "It doesn't look hot. Is it insulated?" Anakin didn't receive an answer. All he got was the handle of a blaster across the back of his head.

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   When Anakin woke up, he was certain he wasn't anywhere near home. In fact, he was in a really plain room with two grown men. Scared, he reached out for his Mother, but she didn't answer. He couldn't even feel her. Terror welled up in him.

      One of the men was all of a sudden kneeling in front of him. "Hush little one." He said, his voice was melodicle and soothing. Not creepy like Callista's had been.  "Everything will be fine." Anakin stared at him for a second before throwing himself into the man's arms and bawling like a four year old." 

      A hand slowly began to rub circles on Anakin's back and soothing waves of the Force started to calm the small boy down. They weren't strong waves like his Uncle's, but they were enough to lull Anakin back into a restful sleep.


	2. Anakin's Escape

     GL owns. No money herein made.

       Thanks for the reviews. Anakin became my favorite Solo kid from the 2 ½ books I made through the NJO series. Personally, it seemed like the three were extensions of Luke: Anakin was the Jedi warrior, Jaina the x-wing pilot, and Jacen the annoying, whiny brat. Anyway, I gave up on the series after the author decided to make Han a middle-aged drunk running around with a bad knockoff of a gypsy. I never even finished the third book, let alone made it to his relationship with Tahiri and the slaughter of poor Anakin L. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep Anakin's essence the same, although I might have to change some stuff.  Send me a review if you think there's something totally out of character for Anakin, and I'll try to fix it.

  On with the story!

    As young Anakin relaxed, the older man holding him released sigh of frustration. It had been taxing to get enough control of the Force to calm the boy. For a man who used to be able to fight ten space pirates at a time, it was a crippling defect. Leaning back, he pulled Anakin onto his lap, so he could sit comfortably. Glancing up at their third companion, he spoke in a hushed whisper. "What do you think she wants with him?"

     "The same thing I want from you." Came the harsh, tittering reply. 

A frown crossed both men's faces. They hadn't even felt her approach.

  Ignoring the two men's shock, she continued, "He will help me overcome those who destroyed my life. I will be able to crush the remnant Empire that has been left standing, and then I will overtake the pathetic 'Jedi' of Skywalker's training. The galaxy will be as it should be, in order, under the only Order worthy of control. The old Jedi Order from the OLD Republic, not Prissy Organa's Rebublic. What better way to demolish Luke Skywalker than to have his own nephew slice down his pathetic students?" 

     Reflexively, Anakin's comforter pulled the boy closer. "You must be crazy to think we'll help you, or let you taint this child."

"Oh, I think not. I'm very persuasive, over time. I've already convinced a couple

of your fellow Jedi of my thinking. Besides, I control the flow of your precious Force. Going through Force withdrawal is just as good as using spice to, say, "convince" people of your point of view."

   The other man spoke up, his voice calm despite the tension "This control is not the way of any Jedi. It defeats any reason for the existence of Jedi. It is of the darkside!"

    An oily smile covered Callista's face. "My, my, aren't you one to talk about control and the darkside. I'm just trying to achieve justice and remove a corrupt government, not blowing up innocent planets like _someone I know."_

    The blue eyes that responded to her comment did not flare with anger, but rather with sorrow. "What I did in my life had passed. You had no right to bring me back to it."

   "Well, while I'd love to stay here talking to you two honorable gentlemen, I have some more pleasant tasks to attend to. Have a good day Lord Vader."

 With that, Callista sauntered off, locking the door to their makeshift prison.

  "Vader?" Anakin Solo's voice was full of an awed fear, his tiny fists clutching the tunic of his protector.

  "No young one," the reply came, "his name is Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader died long ago."

A pair of shiny blue eyes looked over at the tall man in the room. He didn't feel nasty like Callista, and he wasn't covered in a black helmet. "Are you my Grandpa?"

   "I might be. What is your name?"

  "My name's Anakin too, but my last name's Solo. Am I…" Anakin paused trying go think of what Uncle Luke would have said.

    "One with the Force?" His comforter supplied. "No Anakin, you are not."

 Attempting to ease the fear of the child, the man motioned Anakin Skywalker over.

"Anakin meet Anakin."

A small hand extended out and was quickly tucked back in after a quick handshake.

Solo's eyes traveled to the face of the man holding him. "What's your name?"

"Obi-Wan"

Delight flared in little Anakin's eyes. He was meeting a legend. "Wow." 

A snort escaped from Skywalker. "You always could mesmerize the little ones. Slaying Sith and saving the order, it's disgusting."

 "Hush, Ani."

"You know I don't like it when you call me that."

"Well, I can't call both of you Anakin, and this one is too grown up to be called Ani. You, never grew up."

   Ignoring the banter, Anakin reached his hand up to scratch the back of his neck. He frowned when he felt a bump and a scab. He started to scratch at the odd lump.

"Don't do that. You'll make it worse." Obi-Wan's voice lilted towards him.

Anakin frowned. He sounded just like his Mom. Speaking of which, "Why can't I feel Mom?"

Ani looked at his grandson. "Callista put a device in you that keeps you from reaching too much of the Force."

 "She used a biotech inhibitor?"

Obi-Wan groaned, "Can't tell you two are related. He still needs to be reminded to brush his teeth, but he can reassemble an astrometric droid blindfolded." 

   The moment of brevity briefly vanished and each man lapsed into their own thoughts.

Obi-Wan focused on how to get out. Ani fought against his past. Anakin fought against wanting to cry for his mommy. He just wished none of this would have ever happened. He thought his life was bad before, now it was worse. "Uncle Luke will be able to find us won't he?"

"I am certain he will look, Anakin. Your Uncle is very strong in the Force."

   Ani looked over at his mentor and his grandson. He had destroyed the lives of millions of people. He wasn't going to let his grandson be on his head too. "We have to get out of here."

 He watched as Obi-Wan closed his eyes and achieved a serene look. That always meant he was taxing Obi-Wan's patience. "OF COURSE we need to get out. But how do you suggest we do it? She has an electric forcefield around the door that only shuts off when we are fed or she decides to shake her electric hips in here. If we got out, we would have to fight sith knows how many Jedi with more Force power in their little fingers than the three of us together have at the moment, and THEN we would have to find a ship, steal it and find our way to someone who would help us! That is, of course, if they trusted a dead Jedi master, his dead apprentice turned Sith Lord, and his dead apprentice's grandson."

   Ani chose to gloss over Obi-Wan's outburst. "What about the ventilation shaft. That's always a good choice."

   "Have you observed anything in this room? Padme couldn't fit through that shaft, let alone me or you."

  Anakin's lower lip quivered. He didn't like the tone that the conversation was getting. Callista was the bad guy. Not Ani or Obi-Wan. "I can get through that shaft."

   Anakin felt Obi-Wan's chest heave before he answered him. "It's too dangerous. Besides, you'd have to find a way to open the door and disable the forcefield."

"I can do it" Anakin's voice came out in the whisper of a child, but his father's stubbornness shone through in his tone. "I figured out the code on the Falcon. I can figure out this one."

"We don't really have a choice Obi-Wan. The boy is the only one small enough to get through the shaft, and I for one don't want to wait around until Callista decides she's going to start brainwashing us."

 A nod indicated that Obi-Wan had come to the same conclusion. "Very well. 

Anakin, your grandfather and I will pry off the grid and put you in the ventilation shaft. Avoid everyone, and get to the door as quickly as possible."

   After Ani pulled the grid off, he hoisted Anakin up into the shaft.

"Are you certain you can find this room from the outside?"

Anakin nodded his head yes. He truly was doubtful about his ability, but he couldn't let them down.

Obi-Wan looked up at him, "May the force be with you Anakin."

  With that, Anakin Solo started off on his journey.

Surprisingly, it had been easy to get out of the ventilation shaft and find the room. Callista was not expecting an escape in such a redundant method. 

The combination was another matter. He sat there and worked on the code for a whole hour. Several times he had to duck around a corner when one of Callista's Drone Jedi came by to check up on Anakin and his compatriots. The Force must have been on their side, because not one had even looked in Anakin's direction as they passed by. Finally, he had broken the code and released the Jedi within.

    Anakin Solo was running faster than he had ever run in his life. The three companions were being chased by about five brainwashed Jedi. Thankfully, Callista seemed to be elsewhere as she had not cut them off from the Force anymore than when they had been in their cell. Both Ani and Obi-Wan were wielding lightsabers taken from other enemies that they had knocked out. Anakin had one also, but he wasn't using it as he barely knew how to turn it on safely.

    They were running towards a ship that was parked out on Callista's small landing pad. Anakin dodged the blade swipe of a Jedi next to him, skidding across the floor as he did so. Looking up, he saw his grandfather enter the ship to start it up. He lifted his small body off of the platform and was about to start running again, when a hand grabbed the back of his shirt.

     Anakin glanced over his shoulder into the scariest face he had ever seen. Obi-Wan was already running over to his aid, but Anakin had a feeling that his head would no longer be on speaking terms with the rest of his body before Obi-Wan reached them. He saw the orange blade start to swing towards him. He heard the blade zing through the air. Then, he heard his assailant screech in pain. Anakin took another look behind him, and saw Plo' Koon's arms laying on the floor.

  A large arm grabbed him around the waist and started moving him towards the ship. He saw Obi-Wan stop for a moment and stare before he also moved towards the hatch.

    With a bound, Anakin's savior brought both of them into the ship. Just as the ship took off, Obi-wan leaped onboard. With a sigh Anakin hoped they would be going home.

Yippeeee! 

My longest chapter EVER!!!

Had to get the groundwork laid for the story.

Don't worry, they won't be going home for a long while yet J


	3. Backstory

Thanks for all the great questions and reviews.

I was going to let most of this just come out in the story, but I decided that might confuse my readers, so here's a short little synopsis for clarification.

Anakin Solo is going to go by Anakin. Anakin Skywalker is going to be Ani. Both Anakins are indeed dead in cannon. This story takes place about 15 years after ROTJ. Making Anakin Solo 8 standard years old. So he hasn't died. Everything that happened after that didn't really take place (making this AU), but I might use some characters that I liked from the later books. In good Luke/Mara shipper tradition, I have decided to make Callista the big, bad villain. Basically, she's gone nuts and is running around cloning dead Jedi so she can have revenge. The twist being that she's pulling the original spirits back into the cloned bodies. More detail should come out in the story. I haven't really thought about it, but I guess you could say that both Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan are physically in their mid twenties. Qui-Gon's body, yes he's in here, would be closer to thirty because he was cloned earlier than they were. Suffice it to say that Anakin Solo will not be returning home for a long time. Thereby adding some nice additional angst to the story. There's not as much Anakin Solo in this chapter, because I have to get the backstory all set up. Don't worry, you'll see him a lot more when he gets a little older. The section of Hutt space is totally and completely made up. Don't try to find it in cannon. It doesn't exist. 

I don't own, probably never will. No money is being made. I am just borrowing (okay using without permission) the characters from 20th century Fox and G.L.

      Anakin Solo, found himself staring out the window, gazing at swirling clouds of space gas that made up the nebula their ship had launched into. Normally, He loved to see any part of space. The stars zipping by or the colorful planets that dotted the horizon had always been able to enthrall him. But now, they only served to make him gloomy. 

     He wasn't going home. He couldn't go home. The adults on board had tried to talk quietly, but Anakin had heard enough whispered conversations in his parents home to know when to listen. And, listened he had. According to the tall man that had rescued him from the monster, they couldn't go too far from the planet Callista had had them on without being killed. The implants would explode if taken too far from the control unit. Callista had the implants set so that her brainwashed Jedi could do menial tasks around the sector, but they couldn't go far.

    They couldn't remove the implants either. Ani had tried. He'd ended up half electrocuted on the floor the instant he scanned it.

    It was then that Obi-Wan had noticed that Anakin was awake. He had ushered him off into another room while the tall man took care of Ani. Now, all Anakin had left to do was stare out the window and pout.

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      Obi-Wan walked back into the small medical bay that Qui-Gon had taken Ani to. "How is he?" 

"He'll live, but I'd highly suggest that he not make any quick movements anytime soon."

Obi-Wan looked at his former master. Every fiber of his being wanted him to be the Qui-Gon he remembered.  He not only needed the support of a fellow Jedi, but he also had a rather selfish urge to have his best friend back. Qui-Gon had been his father, and he hadn't had enough time with him. 

"You don't have to stare so hard Obi-Wan, I'm not going to sprout another head."

  With Ani unconscious, Obi-Wan decided it was time to make sure that he could trust the clone standing in front of him. Ani had always held onto his hero worship of Qui-Gon, a fact that could cloud his judgment now. With Ani disposed, he could focus more clearly.

"How do I know you're not a plant?"

A small chuckle escaped Qui-Gon's lips, "Sith, you always did speak your mind rather bluntly. I'm amazed you ever learned any diplomatic skills from me."

"I'm not fond of politics, and you didn't answer my question."

"Well, since I am certain you've already consulted the Force on this matter, I guess I'll just have to tell you my story and see if you believe it." 

    "I, like you, was cloned by our wonderful benefactress. Apparently, she was a former Jedi that took over another's body. This left her unable to use the Force in anything other than a Dark manner.  She went off to find a way to come in contact with the Force. Along the way, she discovered several depositories of old materials written on the Force. She discovered several containers that contained DNA of different Jedi that had died. Mostly, she found Padawan braids that the Emperor had taken as trophies. She also found some more gruesome mementos. Hands, feet, entrails, etc."

     "Then, she found and old text about returning spirits to bodies. She found out that her problem was not that she had returned, but that it was not her body. The fact that it was someone else's body barred her from using that body's Force ability unless she pushed her will onto it. This meant that to access the Force, she had to use the darkside."

   "Apparently, she went off to sulk and feel totally defeated. Somewhere along the way, the need to use the Force became too great for her to bear and she yielded to the darkside. Once her thoughts turned dark, she decided to take over a section of the universe. To do that she would need an undefeatable army. What better army than an army of Jedi? She had the genetic materials.  Her hypothesis was that she could clone bodies quickly and pull the original spirits back using the same process she used to come alive."

Obi-Wan interrupted, "This is all very fascinating, but how do you know this and what does it have to do with my question?"

"Patience, Obi-Wan. She, like many, likes to brag about her path to glory—therefore, I know her back story. Now, where I came in is that she decided to clone me.  Unlike you, I was allowed the honor of being in her brainwashing sessions. Suffice it to say that they are not pleasant. I saw her bend many Jedi to her will. I saw her torture to death those who she could not bend. Being of a somewhat unconventional nature, I decided that the best course of action was to play along with her. I led her to believe that she had bent me to her will. When I saw you escaping, I decided that it would be better to help you than to stay in her clutches."

  Obi-Wan sighed, what he could feel of the Force told him this was his Master standing in front of him. That and the fact that it sounded like something Qui-Gon would do. But still, "If you're not a plant, why was it so easy to escape?"

  "Where is there to go? As long as these implants are in our bodies we cannot go far from her control device. We pose no threat."

"Just because we cannot leave a section of space, does not mean that we are not a threat. We can always send a message without being somewhere physically."

"Messages can be jammed, besides who is going to believe the words of a cloned Jedi master? If a message was received and someone sent to investigate, Callista has more than enough Jedi that she could simply overwrite the memory of what they discovered."

Obi-wan snorted, "Luke would be able to feel something amiss in the Force. He would not be susceptible to such mind tricks. Not by her. Not after all the years he's been a Jedi."

"Luke won't be able to feel anything coming from here." Ani's voice rose up from the cot he was laying on. "If memory serves me correctly, we're in the Terisha sector in Hutt space. The entire region is affected by this nebula we're sitting in. You can use the Force inside it, but you can't feel it from the outside. I know, I spent much time searching this district for hidden Jedi."

"So basically," Obi-Wan said, "we're stuck in a sector of Hutt space without a way out."

 Qui-Gon looked at his apprentice. "We should not give into despair. We do what we can against her here, and we send what messages we can. Hopefully, we get through to someone that will help."


	4. Bonding

Check 1st chapter for disclaimer

Cammy: Thanks for your enthusiastic review! You're wish is going to get granted as you can see by this chapter.

All right. This chapter starts out with Anakin just about to turn twelve (Yes, I skipped over some years). The highlights of those years will be shown in flash backs, memories, etc. –For a warning, This will happen again, although I won't leave you without any good angsty interaction among our boys J

Oh, BTW I'm going to make Anakin tall like his grandfather and father. I know that canon has him shorter, but seems how this is going majorly off the beaten path, I decided to make him Ani's height when he's full grown.

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  Obi-Wan strode through the halls of the local jail. The halls were greasy, and the floor worn from various fights that had broken out among the prisoners. With a groan of disgust he noted that the local tavern was cleaner and better lit. That wasn't saying much. Then again, when you lived on the outskirts of society (especially in Hutt space) you really couldn't expect any sort of comfort. He halted a few steps behind the jailer as the rather small Hutt opened a cell door. 

      Inside the cell sat a rather bruised and dejected Anakin Solo. A pair of doleful blue eyes met his and quickly looked back towards the wall. With a nod Obi-Wan had the jailer release Anakin and signed the necessary papers. The only nice thing about the Hutt system of justice was that you could bribe your way out of going to court. Which was especially nice for getting your way out of small situations like Anakin had gotten into. Obi-Wan merely looked at Anakin and began to work his way back out of the jail.

    Anakin swallowed and began to follow. This was not good. He knew the instant that Obi-Wan had appeared at his cell door it wasn't. When Qui-Gon came to bail him out he gave him cold looks and eventually a kind talk about his responsibilities and the will of the Force. When his grandfather bailed him out, he would talk about his own mistakes and how Anakin should not repeat them. When Obi-Wan bailed him out, it meant he was in big trouble. Anakin used to think he could memorize Obi-Wan's lectures, but there were too many of them. There was always one raving moralist in a family.

   Family. Anakin shivered. In truth that was what they were now, only he didn't know where he fit in. Qui-Gon was like a father to Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan was like a father to Ani, and Anakin was by blood Ani's grandson, but it really didn't feel that way. Ani had never really been a father, so how could he be a grandfather? They were great friends, and Ani was very protective of his grandson, but he felt like more of an uncle. 

"Anakin, are you listening?"

 Sith! He knew better than to drift off while Obi-wan was lecturing. Anakin suddenly found his boots very interesting. "No Master Kenobi," Anakin's voice was muffled as he mumbled out his admission.

  Exasperation welled up in Obi-Wan, and he blew a breath of air through his lips. His eyes closed and a second later he was the calm Jedi Master once more.

   It was secretly what Anakin admired about Obi-Wan. He felt his emotions, understood them, and then released them. The perfect example of a Jedi. Ani tended to dwell on his feelings. Qui-Gon tended to ignore his feelings until he could "safely" deal with them. Obi-Wan appeared to be the quintessential Jedi. It was what made Anakin so cowed by him. He wanted to be just like him, only he couldn't. He'd been a failure at being a new Jedi, he didn't even have a chance at being an Old Republic Jedi.

"Anakin, using my formal title is not going to get you out of this. What were you thinking? You were told to stay in the ship. Protect it if necessary. Instead we come back to find you not only gone, but arrested for brawling in the street with a Bothan spice trader."

"I'm sorry, I just got bored and I thought a little walk couldn't hurt. Then I bumped into this guy and we got into a fight and well…"

  Obi-Wan frowned, he knew full well boredom wasn't what the root of the problem was. Something was bothering Anakin. Something had for months. This was the fourth time he'd been arrested, the tenth time he'd been in a fight. Bribes were expensive, and money was not something that they had in abundance.

"Anakin, what's wrong?"

Anakin swallowed. How was he supposed to explain it? The feelings of failure, of not being good for anything. The feeling of being a dead weight being lugged around a sector of space. The feeling that he was impeding their cause against Callista. Sure they had taught him saber skills, but that was for his own protection. He was better with a blaster. A sign he was sure meant that he would have been a worthless Jedi. But worst of all, how was he supposed to explain the growing ache inside of him? 

"Nothings wrong." 

Obi-Wan knew he could get no further with him. "Then we will go back to the ship and you will meditate on your actions."

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When they approached the ship, Anakin went inside while Obi-Wan went around to the other side. "How are the repairs going?"

 Ani's head popped out from underneath the ship. "Well, I couldn't get the right part, so I had to be creative. I wish Callista's flunkies would quit trying to hit our fuel mechanism. It's a real pain to fix."

Callista, what a wonderful thought. While they sent what messages they could to the Republic, and raided her supply ships, her army kept growing. Lately, she had been sending her more loyal Jedi drones to fight them. Apparently, she was using them as guinea pigs, to see how well they would do against Luke's Jedi. It was the only logical explanation as to why she hadn't cut them all off from the Force. 

Obi-Wan was beginning to feel an ache in the back of his head.

"So, did you find Anakin?"

The ache suddenly tripled into a full blown Bantha Parade.

"Yes, he was in the local jail. He beat up a local Bothan spice dealer."

"How much did that set us back?"

"Too much. It would be much easier to make a living as smugglers / "collection men" if we didn't have to stay in one sector. Where'd you send Qui-Gon off to?"

"Master Jinn is in the market looking for fresh fruits and vegetables. He isn't exactly the best mechanic I've ever met."

 "The pain of being so completely aligned with the Living Force Ani. With these blasted things on, he can feel very little of the Unifying side. Besides, Qui-Gon wasn't very good with machines before. It took him three months to get the holovid to quit blinking."

"So, where is Anakin now?"

"Inside meditating. Which, if you don't mind, I think I'll do before my head explodes." 

Ani frowned as Obi-Wan went inside. Obi-Wan didn't get headaches. Not even when Anakin blatantly defied the council. With a shrug, he slid back underneath the ship to finish the repairs.

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Qui-Gon was just about to go up the ramp with his load of groceries when Ani came around from finishing his repairs.

"Anakin was at the local jail. I don't think Obi-Wan is in a very good mood."

Qui-Gon nodded as they headed into the ship. "Perhaps we should discuss this as a group."

They headed into the small galley and found Obi-Wan nursing a cold cup of tea staring at the ingredients list for a box of instant soup mix. "Did you know that this contains five times the recommended amount of sodium?"

Ani and Qui-Gon looked at each other. This was not a good sign.

Ani cleared his throat. "Ani's not still meditating is he?"

"No, he's still brooding. There's a difference. Apparently, I'm a big, bad Jedi for not wanting him to become a felon by age thirteen."

Cranky Obi-Wans did not mix well with Anakin Skywalkers. Ani just didn't have a diffusing touch with his old master.

Qui-Gon smiled and glanced at Ani. "Why don't you go tell Anakin that supper will be ready in forty minutes."

Taking the hint, Ani left the kitchen.

"You cannot hide from your destiny Obi-Wan."

"What destiny is that?"

"The boy."

"Oh no. The last time you set me up with a 'boy,' he ended up destroying the whole Jedi order."

"I am not 'setting' you up with him. I am merely pointing out that you're being stubborn"

"No"

"You know it to be true. Why else have you been so moody lately? If I know it now, you probably knew this would happen within hours of meeting him. You are my apprentice. I know you better than anyone else."

Obi-Wan moaned and nestled his head in his arms. "I'm doomed. My life will forever be dictated by one Skywalker or another. Watch, I'll end up training Anakin's son."

"Look at it this way, at least you'll have braid to pull on."

"I do not want to have another Anakin turn."

"He won't. He is not his grandfather. He bears scars, but they are not ones of slavery.  I suppose that it has not occurred to anyone else on this ship that the reasons for Anakin's behavior are probably tied to the fact that he feels a bond growing?"

"I suppose that could be the reason. At his age, he might not know what it is."

"Ah, the Great Master Kenobi still needs me after all.  Perhaps you should go talk to him while I fix dinner."

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Obi-Wan swallowed nervously outside of Anakin's room. He'd never had to do this before. Ani had been bequeathed to him. There had been no decision with Luke. But, this was different. Anakin could very well reject him on the spot. Qui-Gon or even Ani could always train him. With a calming breath he entered.

Anakin glanced up, "I don't want to talk about it."

"We need to talk about it. You've been feeling some discomfort lately. We need to remedy this situation, give you a final fixed solution."

    This was the moment Anakin had been dreading. He knew that they had to have picked up on his desire to be a Jedi. Now they had elected Obi-Wan to break the news to him. He was too old. He knew that. The only reason they had taught him any Force skills was because they wanted him to be able to control himself so he wouldn't endanger them all.

"I know."

"I don't think you do. I need to show you something important. Would you allow me to link with you?"

Anakin held back his tears. Couldn't he just tell him? Was it really necessary to show the disaster that would ensue if they trained him? The only consolation was that the images would not be as strong as they would be if the Force was not controlled by the inhibitors.

A short nod signaled his acquiescence.

A gentle brush touched his mind. Then it seemed drawn to the ache he had felt earlier. For a second it was painful and confusing. Then, he felt a warm, bright glow twisting together thousands of strands into one strong cord. He gasped as it subsided. Reaching out, he felt for the cord in his mind. Finding it he gently probed it only to find that Obi-Wan's essence was entwined with his own. Blue eyes crew as large as mini-Death Stars.

Throwing himself into Obi-Wan's arms he uttered only one word. "Master"


	5. Anakin's Birthday

See 1st Chapter for disclaimers.

Thanks for the reviews. As I warned this chapter will again jump ahead in time, although it won't happened until a little into the chapter and it won't be as big of a jump.

As per request, you'll be seeing a little bit of the Skywalker/Solo clan and their feelings. I always try to fit in requests if I can. Sometimes, as in this chapter, they help me to bridge from one scene to another.

Oh, if you have any ideas about what to name their ship tell me. I've tried and discovered I suck at naming vehicles.

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    Anakin Solo was nervous. It had been four days since Obi-Wan had taken him as his apprentice, and today they were going to make it official with the braiding ceremony. The four of them were gathered in the main seating area of the ship. Out of necessity, Qui-Gon and Ani were standing in where once the council would have stood. His head felt chilled from where Obi-Wan had cropped it that morning.

   His new master was kneeling on the floor meditating. The bonding of the braid was a difficult task when a Jedi was at full strength. Now, Obi-Wan felt that he needed to be more prepared in order to perform the ceremony successfully. Sea blue eyes snapped open. With small hand gesture he motioned Anakin to knell before him. Qui-Gon positioned himself behind Obi-Wan while Ani stood behind Anakin. 

Qui-Gon spoke first. "Be it here known that from this until his knighting day, Anakin Solo will be apprenticed under Obi-Wan Kenobi. Let no other break this bond, for no other may claim either as master or apprentice."

    Ani's voice rose when Qui-Gon's resonance subsided. "The braid you know build is a symbol of your bond. Now both master and apprentice are equal in their responsibility. Equal in the fate of the apprentice. As the training grows, so does the responsibility of the apprentice. The apprentice will grow more as the master diminishes until the day that the apprentice may be called a knight. Forever then, will the apprentice be his own, and the cord of support be cut."

     Qui-Gon's voice again overtook the silence. "The braid represents both the strength and the weakness of a bond. The strands apart will snap and fray. It is the responsibility of both the master and apprentice to trim and re-weave those strands lest the braid be lost. Yet, the braid also shows much strength. For while it is flexible in its construction, it is stronger than its thousand strands individually."

     Ani took up the ceremony. "Both have agreed to this union. It has been approved. And you have been warned. You may commence."

Gentle fingers grasped hold of Anakin's one remaining lock of long hair. Quickly weaving it into a braid, Obi-Wan produced a similar lock of his own hair and weaved it in. Closing his hand around the meeting place, he closed his eyes and released a strong pulse of the Force. 

   When Obi-wan's hand released, Anakin looked down to see their hairs not only woven, but melded together. A tired smile came from Kenobi's lips. "The bond has formed. Let us rejoice."

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(One standard year and some weeks later)

 "Anakin"

"Yes, Master?"

"I am going to the market with Master Jinn. I suggest that this would be a good time for you to do you birthday meditation. Thirteen is a very special year to attain."

"Yes, Master. When will you be back?"

"Soon enough. Don't get too excited about your present, Anakin. You won't be able to meditate."

Anakin frowned as Obi-Wan left the room. He was surprised they could afford a present at all. Having to buy new clothes for him all the time hadn't helped their budget. 

    He was supposed to meditate on where he was, where he'd been and where he was going. Well, he knew where he was. Part of a highly unconventional family. Part of a resistance to an evil that lurked waiting to destroy a place that none of them had called home for ages.

   He also knew where he was going, at least for the immediate future. At age thirteen he was granted full apprentice stature, meaning that he was now considered an Apprentice Knight instead of an Apprentice Student. Generally what that translated into was that he was going to follow Obi-Wan's every move. Even into the seedy bar fights or situations before considered too dangerous or complex for him. He would become the fourth member of the Silent. At least that was what the local smugglers called them, a nickname given because of both because of their stealthy tactics and the fact that they didn't talk much. Somehow that had given them a rather dark, fearful image. People are always afraid of the unknown.

  That left him with the one subject he was dreading. The Past. The most recent five years were easy to look over. They were painful, but there was a sense of purpose to them. It was what started off those five years that brought pain. With a deep breath he began.

 First, He looked at the night he left. He knew now that he had overreacted to what his brother said. But, that one overreaction had changed his entire life. The consequences had cemented themselves in his brain as feelings of unworthiness. A wrong conception, but one he still had to struggle against.

   That done, he looked at the family he left behind.

Jaina and Jacen were the easiest to look at. They were his siblings, nothing would replace the bond he shared with them. He missed them as much as he could, but he really didn't know what he was missing. He hadn't grown up with them. He'd grown up with three grown Jedi. His view on life was probably very different from theirs.

   With a smile he remembered Chewie, an imposing figure with a heart of fluff, at least where Anakin was concerned. He had always harbored the idea he was Chewie's favorite of the Solo children. He supposed it was because of his tendency to climb around the _Falcon when Han and Chewie were working on it. Something about finding a four year old Anakin asleep by a circuit board with a hydrospanner in his hand had endured Chewie to him._

   Uncle Luke. His view on his uncle was somewhat constrained. On one hand he could remember the way his uncle had taught him simple Force tricks, and argued about how to protect him and has siblings. He could remember how serious his uncle was most of the time. How he always tried to make Uncle Luke smile and feel better. On the other hand part of him would always see Luke as Obi-Wan saw him. Young, vibrant, impetuous, an eager learner, full of potential. He would see him as Ani saw him. The son who did what his mother could not. The son who did what his master could not. The son who had redeemed him, released him from the terror of slavery to the darkside.

  Han, his dad. It was odd that he could think of his father with the least regret. Somehow, he knew that his dad would understand the way his life had turned out. His father would never mistrust him for living a highly unconventional life on the outskirts of Hutt society. Part of him suspected that Han would actually approve of his part time smuggling job. 

He had thought that he would have troubles with reconciling his memory of his father. After, all he lived with three father figures, and he was very close to his Master in particularly. But it seemed that his mentors only enhanced his bond with his father. 

     Qui-Gon's rebellious streak was amazingly close to Han's. Ani's love of their broken down ship was mirrored by Han's adoration of the _Falcon. What really surprised him was how close Obi-Wan was to his father. The smirk, the sense of skepticism, the sarcastic sense of humor, his charming demeanor, the fact that they had both been generals, the flash of well concealed but highly annoying ego: it was almost like seeing a glimpse of what type of Jedi Han would have been._

Anakin moved on to consider his Mom. 

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(Hundreds of Thousands of Parsecs Away)

     Leia stared down at the figures of her children fighting below. The clash of their sabers dizzying and beautiful. Luke was down in the arena monitoring their fight and their saber skills. Didn't they even know what day it was? Her baby boy's birthday. In her minds eye she could see her youngest as she had last seen him, innocently sleeping in his bed with a stuffed Reek nestled in his arms. He had begged her for it, the toy. She had desperately tried to convince him to get a stuffed Wookie or even a stuffed Bantha but he had been insistent. She still had that Reek. It was up on a shelf in her office right by her Intergalactic Peace Award. She had refused to get rid of any of his belongings. Each was carefully boxed up in storage except for a few small mementos that decorated her apartment and office.

   She fought back the tears as she thought about waking up that day and finding him gone. The search had been publicly broadcast for weeks. She had grown inconsolable. Chewie had flown into rages. Jacen had for some reason blamed himself and wallowed in self pity. Jaina had obsessively cleaned Anakin's room till it shined. Luke had spent months scouring the seedy side of Coruscant investigating every slave ring until he cut a mans hand off one day.  Han, Han had grieved but somehow remained calm. It was almost like he knew it would happen. It was like he had already accepted that he could not spend the time with his boy that he should have had. Ironically, he had been the tower of strength for the family. The great Jedi fortitude had crumbled, but the Corellian smuggler had been the one to offer hope.

     Now, five years later, Leia had given up hope of ever seeing her boy again. There had been no ransom calls. No unidentified bodies. Nothing. She had been raped of even the small consolation of a funeral. Condemned to ever hope that he was still alive. A wan smile crossed her lips when she heard footsteps behind her. The children might not have realized today's importance, but Han would never forget. Anakin had truly been his father's son. Born with a slightly cocky attitude that hid his inner love and devotion, he had been greatly talented in the Force, but still held on to his father's less introspective outlook. Where Jaina and Jacen were extremely serious and focused on the Force, Anakin had been accepting of its call, but did not let it dominate him. 

      Han's arms slid around her waist. It was rare for him to show open affection in a public place, but then again today was a rare day. It was a day when both would admit to the need of support instead of being the unmovable towers that they were known to be. Looking away from her children below, Leia turned her head into her husband's shoulder and cried for the child she could only see in her heart.

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Ani strolled through the walkways of the ship. Anakin had to be done meditating by now. He might take Obi-Wan more seriously than Ani ever had, but he was still young and not into meditating for hours on end. Glancing into the boy's room, he found that Anakin was not there. A quick Force probe told him that Anakin wasn't even on the ship. Well, he was _on the ship, just not inside it. Ani headed outside to find Anakin tucked up on the wing, his head resting on top of his knees. With a slightly force assisted jump, Ani joined his grandson. _

"Did you ever forget what your Mom looked like?"

"Honestly? Never, I could always picture her fixing dinner or tucking me in at night."

"I can't really remember her anymore. I can remember how I felt, things she said, but I can't see her face. I mean, I know what she looks like because of data files. But I can't pull out one memory of her face that's my own."

"You were very young Anakin. You can't remember everything."

'That's not it! I can picture Dad, Luke, the twins, Chewie, even Lando, but I can't picture my own mother. Maybe there's nothing to hold on to. Maybe I've been so caught up in my new life that my old family is staring to fade away. I might not even remember the rest of them in time."

"Memories are memories Anakin, even when they are a Jedi's memories. Most all of them dim over time, some more than others. It's a process of life. The old is replaced by the new, but the old is never truly forgotten any more than the new is completely remembered. You're family will always be your family. Your tie to them is not in how you know every line of your mother's face, but the tie that you have to them in your heart. Your Uncle was still my son even though I never saw his face 'til he was nineteen."

 Anakin smiled and shook off his reverie. He'd had enough of the past. It was time to 'Live in the moment' as Qui-Gon would say. His eyes caught a glimpse of white on the back of Ani's neck--right where his implant was. 

"What's that?"

Ani's hand absently rubbed the patch. "A surprise. Now come on into the ship. I believe we have a birthday to celebrate."

Anakin walked into the ship to see Qui-Gon fixing dinner and Obi-Wan frosting a cake. A flood of relief washed over him. Obi-Wan tended to fix extremely healthy, filling meals with taste being a very small consideration. The only consolation was that his master did not feel that way about dessert. Meals were necessary, confections were holy. Obi-Wan knew thousands of desserts. Ani had once told him Obi-Wan used to keep a journal of nothing but dessert recipes from the different planets they'd visited. It was a shared suspicion that Obi-Wan ate healthy so he could splurge on sugar filled delicacies.

  It wasn't traditional to make such a big deal over a thirteenth birthday. It was usually an affair shared by master and apprentice. But, they all needed a reason to celebrate, so they had decided to avoid tradition. A glance at the Masters in the kitchen showed that they too had white patches on their necks.

 "Ah, Padawan, I've got your cake done, and Master Jinn will eventually get our meal in the cooker. What say we go into the dining room and open your gifts?"

  As they all herded into the dining/living room Anakin saw two packages on the table. The first was rather colorfully and creatively wrapped. The second was wrapped in a more sedate color edges perfectly square, bow neatly tied. Without looking at the tags, Anakin could tell who gave what gift. Qui-Gon had to have wrapped the more artistic package, it was rather organically wrapped. He guessed that Ani had picked out the bright yellow and silver pattern that the paper had. The second package screamed Obi-Wan Tasteful and perfectly wrapped. Very well organized and well thought out.  

   Looking at his master, he deduced he should open the bright package first. As he ripped open the paper he found two bottles of pigment and an oddly shaped needle kit. "Going to get me hooked on spice? That's not a very good example of a Jedi."

 With a smile tugging at his lips, Qui-Gon pulled the bandage off of his neck. There etched in Red and Blue was the symbol of the Jedi order, covering the scar from the implant. Anakin's eyes widened. "I get one of those? Wizard!"

Ani held back a laugh as Obi-Wan flinched.

"You only get one if you can stand Qui-Gon's cold fingers as he plays artist with your neck. And, Padawan, don't use such slang. Its unbecoming a Jedi." 

Anakin watched as Ani and Qui-Gon left, leaving him alone with his master. Gently he cradled the package, and carefully tore open the wrap. The box opened to reveal a stuffed Reek. Not a cheap child's play toy like he had when he was young, but an expensive "collectors" toy that would sell for multiple credits on Coruscant. He hugged it close to his chest and mumbled a small thanks to his master.

Obi-wan smiled. "I do not intend to replace your family Anakin, I only intend to add to it. This toy will never replace the original, but neither will the original ever replace it. You are my apprentice, and I love you dearly. But I know that while I may fill a space in your heart, I will never truly replace your father."

Anakin nodded. "Can I ask you one thing?"

"Of course."

"Can we go eat now? I'm starving."


	6. Remedies

Oh, my. My LOTR readers are going to lynch me. I've got writers block on my current chapter there, but I'm flying along with updates on this one. See first chap. for disclaimers.

Cammy: Is it just me or do you like this story? Thanks for you comments. I did have to make Anakin a little more grown up than the books. I felt that holding onto his more childish perspective wouldn't have been realistic for the situation he was growing up in. PLUS it really annoyed me that the NJO series had such a great character making such stupid mistakes while the incredibly annoying Jacen was portrayed as being "Very wise for his age." Balderdash!  

 Ahem, getting off my rant now.

ShortySC22: Glad you liked the view back at the ranch. As a special bonus, this chapter will feature a scene from the venerable Master Luke.

Remnant: Not much I can say but thanks for the review! 

BTW—I'm skipping ahead again (Please don't hurt me) Anakin is now about fifteen.

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 Jedi Master Luke Skywalker was having a very, very bad day. For the past two years select members of the Empire had gone missing or shown up dead. Rumors had been spreading of a new power building. A dark presence was growing in the Force, but it was elusive, impossible to track. What was causing Luke's bad day was how the latest official had died. She had been found, in a park on Coruscant by some school children, stabbed through the heart with a lightsaber.

       Now he had a report on his desk from the Republic demanding that he interrogate his order. There had to be a defector among them somewhere. It was classified information at the moment, but the instant a reporter got a hold of how the official had died there would be no end to his torment. All Jedi would be suspect. Their steps hounded wherever they went.

     It was frustrating to say the least. Why did his life have to be so hard? Orphaned with a Sith for a father. His mentor cut down before his very eyes. Cut off hand. Abducted Nephew. Now this. It was unfair. All he wanted to do was yell at all of the universe. Tell everyone how unfair and stupid they were. 

    Ben would never feel that way. A smile crossed Luke's lips as he thought of Old Ben. Calm, steady mentor. He had faced down his own apprentice and never showed rage. He listened to a starry eyed farm boy and never showed frustration. Luke sighed, he wished he knew how to be just like Ben.

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  With a slight jump Anakin twisted away from his master's blue blade. Obi-Wan was frustrated and had decided that the perfect way to release his tension was saber practice. Anakin flipped backwards trying to get some time to catch his breath. When Obi-Wan was frustrated, he tended to become more aggressive when they trained. 

     At least, Anakin mused, he wasn't fighting Qui-Gon. While Anakin had grown tall, Qui-Gon was still the most imposing of the four. Without full access to the Force, Qui-Gon was the strongest. Which automatically made him a pain to fight. There were only so many blade strokes you could take from him before your arms felt like they were going to fall off.

     Fighting Ani wasn't so bad. Ani tended to focus on mechanics or politics. While he was better than most at the lightsaber, it wasn't his favorite focus. That meant he was easier to fight against than two of the greatest swordsmen in the order.

  Obi-Wan was charging Anakin again. Three swings, a stab, and two blocks later: Anakin was laying on the cargo room floor with his master's blade at his neck. 

"You must watch your footwork, Padawan. Not matter how tired you are. A true master of the saber knows it is a function of the total body, not just the upper half."

  Anakin pushed himself up off the floor. "Yes, Master"

   He wasn't surprised at Obi-Wan's snippy mood. None of them were feeling very great. They had found out two days ago that a Jedi scout had finally responded to one of the messages they had managed to send over the years. He had been denied access to Hutt space, and on his way back had been attacked by a group of space pirates. His conclusion was that it was a trick by the Pirates to lure Republic vessels nearby so they could loot them.

    They had also gotten the latest news from the core worlds. Another Empire official had been assassinated on Coruscant. A sure sign that Callista had been at work. 

     Those two major downers were combined with the fact that their last employer had only given them half their promised pay. A fact that Obi-Wan in particularly was not happy with.  Being the smallest of the group, he had been elected to crawl up the refuse pipe in order to break into an office that held some incriminating documents. A job he disliked at the time, and hated now. Well, would hate if Jedi were allowed. 

  It wasn't just Obi-Wan who had been affected. Anakin swore Qui-Gon had gone through three tins of tea while he was obsessively tending his mini garden. Ani had run diagnostics on everything on the ship. Even the blender. 

  But still, Obi-Wan was in the worst mood. Driving Anakin's training, brooding for hours on end, picking fights with Ani over the smallest thing: it wasn't just what had happened lately. It was what had happened three weeks ago. 

   They had just finished a job when they were chased by a group of Callista's clones. They had sent Qui-Gon and Ani off in one direction with the merchandise while Anakin and Obi-Wan distracted the faux Jedi.  The fight had been exhausting, but eventually Callista signaled them to come home. She'd seen enough progress. 

  But one of her flunkies didn't stop. While three retreated, the one spun around and knocked Anakin's saber out of his hand.  Obi-Wan had reacted on instinct and lopped of his head. 

     The glazed eyes of Bruck Chun had stared back when Obi-Wan pulled off the mask he wore. He hadn't been normal since.

  Anakin really didn't know what to do about the situation. He had asked Qui-Gon to help, but so far nothing had helped. 

    With a shrug, he tossed his tunic on his floor. He would take a shower and then go and talk to his master. A glance at the chrono told him he had approximately an hour to complete his task before he went into town to buy spare parts with his grandfather.

     One better smelling Anakin later, he was strolling through the ships corridor to his master's room.

    As he passed Jinn's atrium, he heard a muffled sob. Peeking in, he saw his master _crying. Qui-Gon was giving his apprentice a comforting hug, just as Obi-Wan had given Anakin all those years ago. Grateful that his master's back was turned to him, Anakin was about to go when Qui-Gon's blue eyes met his._

           Their look said 'I told you I'd take care of it.' With a soft smile of thanks, Anakin went to find his grandfather.

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   Apparently, digging through rusty bins of junk was more than enough catharsis for Ani. Anakin had never seen someone get so excited over a free broken power converter. A ship, yes, even a broken down droid. But Ani's love of mechanics far outstripped his grandson's. 

   Not that Anakin didn't love machines, but still. A _power converter? It boggled the mind. _

    Anakin wandered off while Ani dug through miscellaneous parts, certain his grandfather would still be there when he got back. 

     He was wandering through the vendors when a small whine caught his attention in one of the alleys. Secretly, Anakin avoided alleys; they held too painful a memory for him. But he went in anyway. Allowing his eyes to adjust to the lower light, he spotted a small Hutt and two Rodians circling around something. They were throwing old cans at it and poking it with sticks.

    "I think its dead," the Hutt said

   "Nah, its still twitchin'," one of the Rodians replied.

"What's going on here?" Anakin's voice rolled through the alley.

 Startled, the juvenile thugs ran out the other end of the alley. Cautiously, Anakin approached what they had been poking. Laying on the ground was an almost dead canine specie. It's purple and green fur was matted together with blood. Its tongue hanging out the side of its mouth.

    Disgusted, Anakin put the creature out of its misery with his blaster, and put it in one of the garbage dumpsters. He was about to leave when he heard a higher pitched yelp come from a pile of boxes nearby. Pushing the boxes out of the way, he found a small puppy with Blue and green fur.

    Compassion rose up in Anakin when he realized that the thugs had just caused the death of its mother. Picking it up he realized it was quite friendly as it snuggled into his arms.

   "Hey little guy." 

  A soft whimper met Anakin's ears. There was no way he was going to leave it to fend for itself. He didn't think he had the heart to kill it either. It wasn't mortally injured like its mother.

   With a smile, he trotted back to see Anakin.

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 Back at the ship, Ani had made a ball out of old cloth and some bouncy material and was rolling it between Anakin and himself, playing with the new puppy. Qui-Gon was busy building a small nest for it in the living room. Obi-Wan was out at the market, having decided before Anakin had come home that he needed some fresh air and fresh groceries.

   "Rats!" Ani exclaimed when the ball went bouncing off down the hall way. The puppy quickly chased after it. Anakin began pulling himself off the floor to give chase when Obi-Wan's boots came into view.

  "What is this?" There stood Obi-Wan. Dog in one hand, ball in the other. 

"It's a ball." Ani helpfully supplied. "Its spherical and bounces when you throw it."

"I found him in the marketplace today, Master, and I just couldn't leave him there. His mother was dead and he was so little and helpless." Anakin's eyes became big, blue pools as he put on his best innocent look.

"Little things grow Anakin." Obi-Wan's voice told him he wasn't buying the act. A sigh blew past his lips. "Has Qui-Gon seen it?"

Anakin nodded. Obi-Wan uttered a larger sigh, handed the dog back to Anakin, and threw the ball at Ani, almost conking him in the head. As he walked out Anakin stopped him.

"Where are you going Master?"

 "Back to the market to buy dog food." With that, Obi-Wan walked off mumbling about Qui-Gon and pathetic life forms. 


	7. Freedom?

 See first chap for disclaimers.

Bekah K: Glad you joined Us!

ShortySC22: I'm glad you liked the chapter. I thought I should try to start moving the story along, ya know – introduce the danger more, delve into personalities. Hopefully this chapter will be as good.

Cammy: Let's see 1. Yah it kinda sucks that I put poor Obi through that again, but I needed to fulfill my angst quotient. 2. The mistake really should haunt Qui-Gon, but I won't be so mean as to clone Jar-Jar (I do have some standards—The category isn't angst/angst) 3. Hmmm. Hard to see this is. Couple chapters later Boy Baby angst he will feel. Vader he will face when family he sees. Sorry about that, sometimes I just have to talk like Yoda. 4. Favorite Character? Well I obviously have a thing for Jedi (Then again who doesn't), so I have a lot of good characters to choose from. But, I'd have to say my absolute fav has got to be Obi (He just kicks @$$, besides that, I like a guy that I can look in the eye instead of stare up at.), although my brother keeps trying to turn me to the Jinn side of the force.

I believe this will be the last time jump I do. Rejoice!

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Anakin Solo was enormously pleased with himself. He had landed his first contract for their group and they were going on the run tonight.

    He held his nose as he added a shot of hot sauce to the vegetable juice cocktail he was mixing. The three eldest members of his "Family" had come home sloshed last night after celebrating Obi-Wan's eighty-fifth birthday. A quick check of his master's robe pockets had confirmed that he probably had the comm. number of every female in the bar. A few weeks away from his eighteenth birthday, he hadn't gone with them as they went…socializing.

     He turned around at the sound of footsteps only to see his "puppy" coming into the kitchen. His master had been right, the dog had gotten large. He remembered how the young puppy had kept working on Obi-Wan for affection. Qui-Gon, of course, had become the dog's caregiver, but it still craved attention from Obi-Wan.

     It had cried at night for a week when left alone in the living room in his bed.  Qui-Gon had tried every trick he knew and eventually turned the sound barriers on so that they could get some sleep. In the morning, he had gone to feed the puppy only to find it gone. Its bed was cold. He had forgotten to lock down the sensors on the door the night before and the dog had gotten out.

    Scouring the ship, he eventually found their new member snuggled up, in bed with Obi-Wan Kenobi. From then on, the dog refused to sleep anywhere else. After three arguments with Jinn over "HIS" dog, Obi-Wan had relented to let it stay in his room under one condition. He got to name the dog.

   When Qui-Gon heard what Obi-Wan wanted to call him, he almost fainted.

"Binks, come get your breakfast boy," Anakin's voice sailed through the kitchen as he put a dish of food down on the floor. Making sure everything was set for three hung-over Jedi, Anakin went to prepare the equipment for the night.

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 Anakin was not having a good time. Currently, he was being chased around in an industrial sector of the city. Apparently, the man they were to "liberate" information from had ticked off Callista, and she had sent some under flunkies to kill him. They were dragging out the dead body when Anakin's group walked in.

    Now, he was running really fast. The cloned Plo' Koon (with two mechanical hands thanks  to Qui-Gon) had elected to follow Anakin. Just barely, Anakin was able to ignite his saber and block Koon's swing. Honestly, you wouldn't think he could move that fast.

    Without the Force, Anakin was running out of breath, and Koon was closing in to finish the job he had started almost ten years before. With a flick of the former master's wrist, Anakin went flying into an electric security gate.

    The pain was terrible, yet he was quickly loosing any sensation in his body. His world was quickly melting away from him. His brain functions were numbing. His perceptions were so dull, he didn't see Ani hack Plo' Koon into quarters. He didn't hear his master's wail, or see Qui-Gon's tears. He didn't feel the gentle Force that pulled him from the gate nor the soft hands that carried him to the ship. Most importantly, he didn't hear the gentle pop that his neck made when the energy arced through his body.

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     Anakin's eye cracked open slightly, everything seemed so _bright? Bright wasn't the correct word as the room he was in was actually dimly lit. It just felt, so different, like when you run out into daylight after being in a dark cantina. Aside from the bright feeling, he felt awful. Like the time his master had taken him to eat at a greasy diner that sold some slimy lichens as delicacies.  _

    Moaning, he reached up to grab a glass of water that was by his bed. It went crashing on to the floor. He swore he felt Binks bark before he actually did. Suddenly, he had three very happy Jedi piling into his room.

    His master sat on the edge of his bed. "How do you feel?"

       "Not too good."

"At least he's feeling something." Ani mumbled under his breath.

Anakin shot a questioning look at his master.

"You've been unconscious for four days. Force only knows how you survived all that electricity going through your system."

Anakin nodded. When he did, he swore his entire head went crazy. His master looked so old. Qui-Gon looked so vibrant. Ani looked odd, like he was glowing but had frayed around the edge, a small halo of gloom hugged his form.

_Anakin what's wrong?_

"Anakin what's wrong?"

Anakin blinked his eyes. Did he just hear his master before he spoke? Did that mean what he thought it did?

_Master?___

Had his head hurt any less than it did, he would have found Obi-Wan falling off the edge of his bed extremely humorous. 

"Anakin?" Obi-Wan's voice was shaky, tears were forming at the edges of his eyes.

"Master?"

"Anakin!"

"Does anyone else find this conversation a bit redundant?" Qui-Gon's voice interrupted.

"I can feel you. I mean really feel you. Not just a shadowy presence."

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Ani looked up from the scanner he had been running over his grandson's neck.

"Apparently, that electrical field shorted out the whole implant, fusing together the wires. I can only guess that the return of his total Force powers enabled him to survive."

"That's great! If we can find out how to do that, we can all be free!"

"You'll forgive me, Anakin, but I do not believe that I want to jump in an electric fence to see if I survive." Qui-Gon's voice answered.

Anakin's lips twitched in response to Qui-Gon's sarcasm; Obi-Wan was starting to wear off on his old master.

   Obi-Wan spoke with a serious tone. "While we will do all that we can to replicate your experience, I believe it would be best if you went to the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV."

"NO!" Anakin hadn't meant for his voice to be so loud, but he hadn't been apart from his "Family" for almost ten years of his life.

His response shocked the other three into silence. Obi-Wan's face hardened. It wasn't often that his padawan so blatantly defied his wishes.

Ani knew that look. He'd caused it more times than he cared to admit to. The problem was, Obi-Wan only got that look when he absolutely knew he was right. Not wanting a confrontation to erupt, he was the first to speak.

"Why don't you two go wait outside. I'd like a moment alone with my grandson."

Anakin glanced at Ani. He only said "grandson" when he needed to usurp authority from Obi-Wan. In truth, Obi-Wan felt guilty for stealing Anakin's affections away from his real family. Deep down inside, they all knew that Anakin would side with his master if forced to choose. Saying "grandson" played off those feelings. 

A short nod and a closed door later, two Anakin's faced each other.

Ani spoke quietly a surely. "You must do this Anakin. Do not betray your master as I did once. To be a Jedi means sacrifice, even when it means sacrificing your own physical and emotional safety."

"I don't fear for myself. I just cannot leave you and Qui-Gon and Master Kenobi alone here. You need my protection."

Ani shook his head. "We defended ourselves when you were only eight Anakin. We will survive without you. Who will not survive are hundreds of Politicians and Jedi that have no idea this threat exists."

Anakin shook his head vehemently. "Callista's Jedi are getting stronger, they attack more often. They will…"

"They will destroy more than the three of us if you do not leave. Time is of the essence. You cannot wait around until we find a way for the four of us to go together."

"I am not ready. I am not a worthy Jedi. I could barely feel the Force until today."  
  


"The Force enables a Jedi. It does not make him. You have been well trained. What you learned to do with so little capability still applies to the larger. It is a lesson I did not believe."

Anakin looked at him "I think you've been around Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan too long. You're starting to sound sagacious."

"Backwards talking at least I am not."

A smile crossed Anakin's lips. "You are right. I will, I must go."

As Ani went to get the other Jedi, Anakin fought down butterflies in his stomach. 

He would be leaving home to go home soon, leaving family to go to family.


	8. Station

 See first chap for disclaimers

Elf Wench: Thanks for the review! As requested, here is your update!

Heidi M: Yep, he's going back. Hopefully, you'll see some good family discord umm I mean interaction.

Chelsey the Elfish Jedi Lady: (My, that's a long name ;) Not that I can say anything) Glad you liked the story. I do tend to get profound (and sometimes confusing) when I'm writing in the middle of the night.

Cammy: Ah, sleep I suppose everyone needs it. You might have to do without an Ani fix for a couple of chapters, but we'll see if my muse decides to write a little shot "Back at the Ranch."

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  Anakin Solo shook the sleep out of his eyes. Donning his long, black, short sleeved coat, he walked up to the bridge for his piloting shift. 

   His master had taken him shopping before he left on his trip to the core worlds. Qui-Gon had said that Anakin should look his best when he had such an important message to carry. He had been incredibly surprised when his master suggested black as his main color. 

     Thick black Nerf hide boots came up his shins, black pants followed, then two black coats (One short sleeved one long) and a black jacket, and several different pairs of Black gloves. The only non-black part was his shirt. Those he had gotten in white, dark green and… black.

    He grabbed a pair of Gauntlet style gloves off his dresser on his way out of his room. He had found out they were not just for fashion. Dragl'er's piloting control's on his ship could become slightly temperamental. After one encounter with it showering his hands with sparks, Anakin had decided to always wear gloves.

    He frowned in remembrance. Qui-Gon had gotten him this job. Dragl'er was a jolly, green skinned Twi'lek who was missing one of his head tails. His normal pilot was off visiting her family and he had needed a replacement. Qui-Gon had offered him Anakin. 

    They had done business in the past, and Dragl'er was one of the more honest crooks they knew. All Qui-Gon had to tell him was that Anakin needed to see the inner worlds now that he was older. Dragl'er was more than happy to take one of the infamous "Silent" as a crew member.

    Apparently, they had quite the reputation for being perfect. You couldn't win against them. Anakin wished that was true.

  "Ahhh, Chogare, always on time for your shift." Dragl'er's voiced boomed as Anakin reached the bridge.

   Chogare Osol had been his chosen name for years when dealing with others. Somehow, telling people you're Anakin Solo didn't quite help business.

    Anakin merely nodded and took the helm position. This was going to be his last stop. He would pick up the other pilot and get a ride to Yavin IV with the money Dragl'er had been paying him. 

   A deep scowl crossed his face. "These coordinates are in a totally opposite direction from our flight plan." 

    It was worse than that. They were heading further towards the rim of Republic space, not closer to the center.

"Yesss, You see our last buyer cannot afford the publicity of dealing with people like me." 

  "But the cargo you have is legal. It was obtained in a legal fashion."

"That iss true, but our buyer cannot afford the nasty publicity that buying from a tradesman such as myself would bring him. But, I have the best price, and he is a good businessman, so we find ways around the press."

   Anakin simply nodded and turned back to his consol. There was nothing he could do. He would have to convince his Uncle now. He would only be able to afford a ticket to Yavin IV, not one back. 

   To add to his bad mood was the fact that he wouldn't spend his birthday with his Master, Qui-Gon or Ani. He would be alone. Tomorrow would be the first time he'd never had some sort of family around him on his birthday.

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    Anakin was jarred out of his mind numbing boredom when he felt a jolt in the ship. They had just come out of hyperspace, so they could dock at the space station. Another jolt rocked the ship.

"The main Stabilizers BLOWN!"

Anakin felt the panic of the crew through the Force. The ship's path was incredibly wobbly, the controls nearly unresponsive. They were going to hit the station they were to dock at.

   Calming himself, Anakin touched the Force. Thankfully, he was in close contact with the Living side at the moment. 

"Captain! Radio the station. Tell them to turn on their tractor beams full strength for their docking port."

"You're crazy," the first officer cried, "we're moving too fast. It'll rip us apart and the station."

"Do it or we will die anyway."

Dragl'er nodded his head, and the station turned its beams on. 

Increasing speed, Anakin flew in nose first at the station, then cut power and turned on the right side repulsors and then cut power. The ship groaned and creaked and slammed into the docking port. Perfectly docked with the station.*

 A round of applause echoed through the ship. Anakin blushed in embarrassment. He was a hero. He never thought he'd be one, now, he sort of wished he wasn't.

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    A few hours later, the Captian called him to the bridge. "Chogare, my business partner wishes to meet the pilot who saved us today. He would be most honored if you agreed to stay at one of his rooms before you are on your way."

Anakin nodded his assent. While he could stay for free on Dragl'er's ship until they left, he would much rather stay in a free room on a space station. The station looked new. Dragl'er's ship was not.

   With his bag slung over his shoulder, Anakin went to meet the station owner."

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Lando grinned as he went to meet Dragl'er's pilot. He hadn't seen that kind of piloting since the rebellion. There were only three people he knew that could pilot like that: Han, Chewie, and Luke. Now, he was going to add a fourth name to his list.

He had to admit, he was surprised when he saw a tall young human step out behind Dragl'er. The boy was about Han's height, with dark brown hair, blue eyes, and funny braid hanging down from behind one ear. Kid's these days. He would have to ask Han when changing the color of the end of a braid became popular.

"Lando Calrissian, Chogare Olos." 

Looking into the kid's eyes, Lando felt a sense of déjà vu. It was almost like he'd seen him before. He was a bit surprised at the shock that shone in them. Smugglers usually didn't have that reaction, even when meeting a "star."

"Glad to meet you." Lando said smoothly.

"It is an honor." Anakin's voice lilted as he inclined his head towards Lando.

Lando was even more intrigued. The boy had a deep accent, very close to the "Empire" accent, only it seemed more organic. His mannerisms were also formal, as from the Empire, but they were like the painting a print is made from. Truly original and more gracious than its mass produced counter part.

Lando knew he had to know more. "That was quite some flying you did today kid. Would you like to join me for dinner?"

All Anakin really wanted to do was find somewhere that he could hyperventilate in. Seeing Lando was a great shock to him. He heard himself accept Lando's offer, and the following instructions to be there in twenty minutes. All he had to do now was make sure he didn't lose his dinner after he ate it.

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*Okay for those of you wondering, I mixed a little bit of science with this. First, flying directly into a powerful wave (such as a tractor beam) actually lessens the potential damage done to a ship because it is impacting with the most arrow dynamic part. Secondly, the faster your are going, the more drastic your rotation will be from a force(ie the aft repulsors turning on had a greater impact than they would have at a slower speed.) The rest well its partially based on fact, some it was just the "Force." That's why they call it Science fiction.


	9. Lando

 See first chap for disclaimers

Remnants-2011:Thanks!

FireSenshi: Sure thing!

Greatjedi: Thanks

ShortySC22: Hey thanks for the review! It's kind of a treat to get two chapters sometimes ;)

LadyRogue: Well, I do plan to use Tahiri a little later on, but it might take me a while to get her character right. I haven't really found a good source of info on her yet, and I'd like to keep her in somewhat of the context that fans see her in.

Cammy: I've made an impact on the World!!! Seriously, if your Baby Boy is first and Anakin is fourth who is in between?  There you go being sleepy again (shakes head) you should be like Obi-Wan and strive to achieve a level of no sleep. ;)

Heidi M: Glad you liked it. Sleep, sleep you say? There must be an epidemic—tsk, tsk next you people will want to breathe.

Ahem, well then getting off my rather strange humor bent—On with the show

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Lando had his best 'Who me?' look on his face. The kid sitting at the other end of the table had to be the most challenging individual he'd run across in ages. Perfect manners, perfect conversation, perfect pilot, perfect humility—just plain perfect. And perfect people always have something to hide.

  Think Lando Think! Okay, he eats a lot. Not too surprising, he's not that old. Has a funny hairstyle? Again, not too surprising for his age. The tattoo on his neck is different. It's in an odd place and is an odd shape. NOTE: Check out tattoo design with local scum.

"So, kid, what do you plan to do now that you're unemployed?"

Anakin answered right away. "I'm going to go to Yavin IV to see the Jedi Academy, after that I don't know."

It was the truth for a certain point of view, he was going to see the academy, and he didn't really know what would happen afterwards. He just made it sound like he was a tourist.

Lando knew there was something not quite right with that statement. He didn't know how he knew. He just did. The chrono on the wall chimed.

Anakin glanced up. "It's getting late Mr. Calrissian. I believe I should retire for the evening, with your permission."

Lando absently nodded and watched the boy go. He was definitely too perfect.

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    Lando growled when he looked up at the same chrono a few hours later. The kid was way too much of a puzzle. Or maybe he was a combination lock, and something inside Lando said he had the key—somewhere. Lando was desperate. He'd even done all of his paper work for the coming day.

     He'd gone to the lower levels of his station earlier to talk to some less, sociable members of society. He found one person that knew the symbol on the boy's neck. The short Bothan said he'd been a part of a gang in a sector of Hutt space. His group had decided to lift a data pad off of a delivery person for another group. Big mistake. That delivery person had five grown Bothans pinned to the ground in one minute. No blaster, just him. 

     Lando had shown him the kid's face then. The Bothan shook his head. He'd only seen one member of that group, and he was taller, older, and had a beard. The Bothan (after a few generous drinks) told him the group was called the Silent. Very feared, very picky about their jobs, extremely exclusive. No-one really ever bothered to get more information on the group. They were too afraid of them; apparently, they were that good.

  This was just peachy. The information Lando gathered had just made the boy more confusing. Why would a kid who was a member of such an exclusive group in Hutt space suddenly decide to barely survive in Republic space?

     Trying to clear his head Lando grabbed his planner. _Planner, sith, he must be getting old. What ever happened to the old carefree Lando? Scanning through the entries, he ran across the only one that excited him. One week from today, he was going to have lunch with Han and Chewie. Just the three of them on some backwater planet in an old hotel they used to visit back in the day. The three of them, seedy rooms, cheap liquor, even cheaper stories: those were the times Lando missed the most. _

    Now they would be reliving part of the past. Only they had to buy expensive rooms and pay enough to keep their presence a secret. 

    Lando shook his head. It was worth it at least for Han's sake. His whole family hadn't been the same since Anakin disappeared. Lando could only imagine the pain Han and Leia went through every day. Wondering where their boy was, what he looked like, peering into strangers' faces for a glimpse of a missing child.

    Chewie had taken it hard too. He owed a life debt to Han. That Anakin had never been found was a deep wound on his family honor, not to mention the emotional attachment the Wookie had.

    Lando gazed out the window. "Ah, Anakin where are you?"

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     It was eleven hundred hours on Anakin Solo's birthday. He'd woken up early, meditated, and exercised.  Then he had taken a walk around the station trying to find passage to Yavin IV or somewhere close. No Dice. Everyone was either heading the wrong way or wanted more money than he had in his possession. 

    Frustrated, he went to a cafeteria and bought the most sugar laden delicacy they had. Dessert, it made him want to be at home with his master. He'd never been alone on his birthday, and it was the pits. Attempting to release his feelings into the force, he focused on a pleasant memory.

    He had a tendency to buy things when he was stressed or blue. Ani had laughed so hard when he found out. He said that Padme had done the same thing. Always shopping to relieve some sort of stress or another. Anakin smiled, he supposed that was why he bought dessert. He was just trying to relieve his symptoms of loneliness.

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    At eleven hundred hours Lando was rousing himself from the nap he had settled into. He was tired, his brain felt tired, and something was bugging him so he couldn't sleep. Strolling around his office he stopped and looked at the holos on his wall.  A faint smile crossed his lips when he viewed the group shot taken on the moon of Endor right after the destruction of the Death Star II. 

    They were all grinning, well except Han, he was sort of smirking. Lando started to turn away then glanced back at the picture. There was something about that smirk. Of course, he'd seen it thousands of times, but it seemed so familiar, like he'd just seen it.

    His brain flashed back to the night before.

  "You have quite the colorful wardrobe."

 "Yeah, actually my grandfather sort of started a trend in the family."

Nah, No, Nope, absolutely not. That kid was nothing like Han or Leia. Sure he was tall, it's a common attribute. Brown hair—same as his height. Blue eyes? Their common enough. Being able to perfectly dock a ship that should have taken out a chunk of the space station? 

SITH! It couldn't be, but it made sense. The shock on the kid's face wasn't because he was meeting a hero, it was because he was seeing a man who used to play starships with him when Leia wasn't looking.

   The only problem was, he couldn't prove anything. Asking the kid outright would be suicide. He didn't need the kid running off at lightspeed. He could do a blood test, but he would need to get the DNA information from Leia or Han. He couldn't stand to get their hopes up if the kid wasn't Anakin.

A grin spread across his face. He could still plot with the best. He knew just what to do.

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   Anakin sat staring at his empty plate. He needed to do something. He had the feeling that depression was of the darkside.

"Hey, kid!"

Anakin glanced up. Oh, joy Lando.

"I hear you're trying to book passage to Yavin, how bout you n' me strike a deal? I've got this trip I need to take. You're a reasonably good pilot, I could hire you. It wouldn't take you to Yavin IV, but it'll get you a whole lot closer. Besides, instead of paying for a ticket, I would be paying you."

Anakin was amazed, the man talked so fast, he couldn't get a word in edgewise. Before he knew it, he had signed up to pilot Calrissian's ship. They would be departing tomorrow.


	10. Han & Chewie

 Ummmmmmmm lets see, oh yeah! See 1st chap for disclaimers

Hey! I invite you all to take a gander at one of my reviews before you leave your review for this chapter. It almost made me feel bad, but then I realized that the person just wants attention, so take a look so he/she feels noticed.

No one in particular: I'm really glad I've made it on to your exclusive list!

  Heidi M : Well you're getting at least part of the family in this chapter!

Rebel Diosa: Well, I had planned on making Jaina a pilot, but I hadn't planned a face off, maybe I'll do a little "Friendly" competition though, you never know.

Lady rogue: Yeah, I was tired of all the dumb/jerk/moron Lando fics. I mean look at the movies, he was slime, but he was way cool slime!

 ShortySC22: Well, I guess you can see what Han's reaction is.

Remanants: HI!!!

Cammy: My aren't we a tad hyper? Favorite five hmm. 1. Jar-Jar, 2. Wicket, 3. Sebulba, 4.Bruck, and 5.Boss Nass (If you really want to know the real five I guess you'll have to read the next chapter)

BTW: My info on Wookie physiology is a tad (more like a lot) rusty, so don't go too hard on me. Oh! For the sake of (somewhat) brevity All of Chewie's words will be in quotes around parentheses "( )" to show that he's not speaking in basic.

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   Anakin knew the look. It was the look of "I'm up to something." And right now, Lando was wearing it. The grin was infuriating. He'd lived with Qui-Gon's sardonic smile, Ani's cocky beam, Obi-Wan's satisfied smirk: but that grin was exasperating.

  Thank the Force was all Anakin could think when Lando excused himself from the cockpit to go make a personal call.

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    Lando thrummed his fingers on his desktop. "Come, on, come on."

"Solo, here"

"Han ol' buddy."

"What do you want Lando?"

"What makes you think I want something?"

"I know that look."

"Hmph. To tell the truth I have a small favor to ask."

"I knew it, I just knew it. What do you need this time? A pardon for running over an ambassador's rose bushes?"

"Nah, it's just that I have this… friend, and he doesn't have anywhere to stay, and I was hoping you'd like to meet him."

"You mean he doesn't have anywhere to go and you thought Money bags Han could put him up during our _private get together?"_

"Ah, old Buddy don't put it that way. He's a great kid. A hell of a pilot. You'll love him I promise."

"I doubt that, but seems how I have the feeling I don't have a choice, why don't you bring him along?"

"I knew I could count on you. See you in a couple days then."

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    Anakin growled something rather crude under his breath. Lando was going to some business meeting and had insisted Anakin attend. So, they were hiking to the hotel when Lando "realized" he forgot his bag. Hence, Anakin was trudging back to the landing pad to get Lando's bag IN THE RAIN!!! Biting back a curse that Qui-Gon had taught him, Anakin grabbed Lando's bag and started running towards the hotel.

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     Lando grinned as he sat down in the sitting room of Han and Chewie's hotel room. He figured he had at least fifteen minutes before the kid got there. The idea had come to him on the spur of the moment. He wanted to be there when Anakin arrived, so he could observe the kid's reaction to seeing Han and Chewie.

"So, where's the wonder pilot?" Han asked as he sat down across from Lando.

"He's bringing the luggage. Han, the kid is great, you really should give him a chance, huh?"

"Lando, I thought the purpose of this whole get together was to avoid people like that kid. To just be us, not helping out unfortunates who would like to use our names to help themselves along."

"Han, this kid's not trying to help himself he's just…"

The door chime interrupted Lando. What did the kid do? Run all the way here?

Chewie quickly volunteered to answer the door. Han was always crabby around Anakin's birthday, and the "wonder pilot" didn't need to feel the brunt of it.

   Anakin stood out side the door waiting. Lando appeared to be doing business in a rather plush place. Exactly what type of business would he conduct in a penthouse suite anyway? He placed a look of calm across his features as he felt a presence approach the door. Funny, it seemed familiar somehow.

   The door swished open, and Anakin found himself towered over by a Wookie. Anakin fought down a wave of nervousness. He knew that Wookie, and where the Wookie was, so was Han Solo.

    Chewie sniffed the new comer. A low growl came from his throat. The scent was very familiar. It had changed as all human's scents did, but it had stayed basically the same even through puberty. He knew that scent as well as if it was his own cub.

    Han was about to give Lando a scathing remark when he heard a strange, strangled noise come from Chewie. The noise was quickly followed by very sloppy speaking. What Han could make out sounded like "cub," found," "missed," "been," but most of it was gibberish. Glancing once at Lando, he sprinted towards the door.

    Anakin used the Force to calm himself. He needed oxygen and panicking was not going to help that. At the moment, he was being squeezed be a giant Wookie, his feet dangling off the floor. It was funny; hysterical was never a word he would have used to describe Chewie.

     Lando fought back a triumphant cheer as he photographed the look on Han's face. Pure and utter shock was an expression that Solo never wore, but seeing Chewie bawling unintelligible phrases while hugging a young man had done it.

"Chewie, CHEWIE, let the kid breathe." Han said as he recovered from his stupor.

Chewie set Anakin down on his own two feet.

"What was _that all about? You loosing your marbles?"_

Chewie started to explain, but couldn't seem to string a sentence together.

"AWW, your worse than Leia. Next you'll be eating Bantha steaks with chocolate sauce and turning the cooling on in the middle of a Hoth winter."

Chewie managed to choke out one word, "(Anakin)."

"Anakin? What do you…" Han's face paled as he looked over at the boy that Chewie had set down.

   Blue eyes, Brown hair. He was tall. His nose was shaped more like Leia's, His face like his father's only softer. The family resemblance was incredible.

"Aww, hell kid, where've you been?"

Anakin was about to answer when he was again assaulted with a hug. This time, though, his father was crying into his shoulder instead of a big, furry Wookie.

"Not that I want to interrupt this beautiful moment, but I think that we should take this party into the room." Lando's voice cut through the haze of emotion.

Han released Anakin and nodded his assent to Lando. The four shuffled into the apartment. Anakin sat by Lando with Han and Chewie sitting across from them. About halfway through his kidnapping, Han stood up and stalked over to the window.

"I can't take this. I think I need a drink."

Anakin looked him in the eye. "Then why don't we go to a bar?"

Noticing the looks he got, Anakin added to his statement. "It's not like I've never been in one, besides I think this might be easier to take when you're drunk than when you're sober."

Han gave a wan smile and Chewie chuckled. It was amazing how quickly they had put Anakin in the same category of his siblings: highly proper, law abiding, politically correct, public figures. 

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   Anakin bit back a sense of déjà vu as he stood mixing Obi-Wan Kenobi's famous hangover mix. He'd been mixing the very same thing the day this latest turn in his life started. 

    He smiled. When they went to the local bar, they had gotten a private table in the back. It had been very tense. Tense, until Anakin grabbed Han's third drink, tasted it and swore that it was mixed weak. Apparently listening to Obi-Wan and Anakin debate the proper amount of alcohol in beverages had paid off. It had broken the ice for the rest of the evening.

    Resisting the urge to throw a tidbit on the floor for the dog, Anakin moved out of the mini-kitchenette and into the common room to start his exercises. He took a deep breath and touched the force. After all the years of being half-on, the amount he could reach now almost made him heady. For a second, he could almost feel his master dong the same motions along side him.

    Han stood and watched Anakin. The kid had a fluidity to his movements that Han had only seen in very few of Luke's Jedi. It was a major point in favor of the kid's story. He'd said that he had been raised by three cloned Jedi. Although he hadn't mentioned names, Han could see where that would be true. You couldn't do the moves the kid was doing without being heavily trained for a few years.

"You're up early." Anakin's melodic voice jarred Han out of his thoughts.

Han grunted. The kid certainly was spooky enough to be a Jedi. He was starting a conversation with someone he couldn't see while doing some sort of funny exercises.

"Yah, well just remember that if you ever get up and the wrong end of you is hanging over the fresher, you had too much to drink."

"I made something to drink for you and Lando. I wasn't exactly sure what cures a hangover for a Wookie."

"Thanks. Would you mind…" Han stopped. Anakin had already stopped his exercises and was heading to the kitchenette. 

Gotta be a Jedi.

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     Anakin took a deep breath before he went back into the penthouse. He'd left the other three alone to discuss him without any distractions from their subject. He only hoped they believed his story. Cloned Jedi was a topic that seemed far fetched. In fact, his whole life seemed far fetched. That was why he omitted Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Ani's names. He didn't need his story to sound even less plausible. After all wouldn't it be a little suspicious that he was trained by Kenobi on a ship with his own grandfather?

    "(We thought you got lost.)" Chewie greeted him.

"I thought it best to give you time to contemplate." Anakin replied in his best diplomatic tone.

Han shook his head, "Look, Anakin, I don't know how your mom or Jaina or Jacen or Luke or anyone else is going to react. But I for one know my own kid, no matter how little time I had with you. So, Lando, Chewie and I are going to stand behind you. You got that? After all, us smugglers need to stick together."

Anakin smiled. It felt oddly good to have Han on his side. It was like he'd won the first part of a battle. Not that his story was accepted, but that his father had accepted him.

Lando chose to interrupt the fuzzy moment. "Since we've decided to all get along, I suggest we get along. I'll call up the port and get permission to leave. I think we should get her highness her baby as soon as possible."


	11. The Family

See first chap for disclaimer.

No one in particular: Hey I'm honored. Actually, I remember the first star wars fic I read. I remember thinking Who in the heck is Mara Jade? Count yourself Lucky, I had to buy all of my Star Wars books.

Jedijainafel/ Lady Rogue: Hope you like this chapter as much. I see from your name that you're a Jaina/Jag fan. I hope you don't mind that I won't be putting Jag in. I think he's great in the books from what I've read about him (Remember I quit reading NJO before his character was introduced), but I think my muse will go in a little different direction. So I don't get nasty reviews, Jaina isn't staying with Kyp. I just thought I'd like to break up a couple ;)

Heidi M: Well I hope you're not mad at me. This chapter is a little late. I had too many papers to write for finals week.

Elayne Cypher: Glad you Liked it!

Fire Senshi: Yup.

Reikson: well what your review lacked in verbosity it more than made up for in quantity.

Rebel Diosa: Yeah, I know it would be cool. Maybe I'll sneak it in later.

Bakah_K: Well, you might have to suffer through missing the gang for another chapter yet, I haven't really decided. Anyway, You get to see how Leia reacts, so you get one wish granted.

ShortySC22: Does the SC stand for South Carolina? I wish I was there at the moment. I hate it when the high for the day is 10 below zero weather is nasty.

Cammy: Hyper. Hmmm can Jedi be hyper? Senators can't. You must be a smuggler.

Well fav five. I had to think a bit to compile this. I mean I have a bunch of favorites, but as you can see, Jedi always seem to worm there way into top spots. I think it's mind tricks personally. 1) Obi-Wan, 2)Qui-Gon, 3)Mara Jade, 4) Luke [After his whiney stage], 5) Siri (This was a really tough call. She barely beat out Padme, Leia, Han and Lando—Some how fifth place is always the hardest.)

Seems how this section is already long, I thought I'd add thought. For the next chapter and a half to two chapters Jacen will probably be a jerk, because I feel like it. BUT he will not stay that way, because I don't think he's a bad character. Just some of the writers wrote him so that he annoyed me.

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   Leia turned and paced through her apartment again. Han was coming home. Han was coming home with a passenger in tow. And Force help her she didn't know whether to cry or throw an angry tantrum. Forget the Sith spawned Jedi codes. 

   The night before last Han had called her in the middle of the night. He had said that he was coming home five days early. Surprised, Leia had asked him if he'd had a fight with Lando. She thought something terrible had happened when he didn't answer. He seemed so tense when he had called.  She heard another voice float over the comm..

"Are you all right? Your signature is tense."

Han had merely waved whoever it was away. Leia listened and heard the other being's footsteps disappear. What was another person doing aboard the _Falcon?_

"Han, who was that? Are you in trouble?" 

"Nah, I'm not in trouble Princess. It's just that… That was… He's…"

"Han, who is he, and what is he doing on the _Falcon?"_

"That was Anakin, and he's coming home."

   Shaking herself Leia garnered a concerned glance from her brother. She had hung up on Han hysterical. She refused to answer his calls. Finally, Han had called Luke over from his Coruscant apartment to calm her down.

   "Leia, calm yourself." 

Usually Leia enjoyed Luke's calm Jedi Master teachings, but at the moment, she was getting the testy edge her husband got from them.

  Before she could react, Mara suggested that they go make tea in the kitchen. Leia knew it was a distraction, but the tension was so high in the room that she welcomed it.

  Jaina was staring out the window. She had been called off of her duty schedule by her mother early that morning. Truthfully, she had been annoyed that her senator mother had used her sway, just because she felt like it. That was before she heard the news. Now, she was thankful that Leia had told her in person. Fainting in front of her squadron would not have gone over well.

   A quick glance over her shoulder saw that Jacen was busy tweaking the houseplants. Her twin had been aggravated from the instant he'd heard the news. Jaina was sure that something was bothering him more than Anakin's return. Certainly, he would feel nervous, but he had been so snippy and condescending about it. She had never known her brother to be like that about anyone. Well she had when she first started going out with Kyp, but that was quickly resolved.

     She walked away from the window when she hear Artoo roll in with the refreshment tray. Mara and Leia followed behind with assorted snacks. Jaina smiled. It was sort of like a mini party. 

   The doorbell chimed. For a second, everyone froze. Even Threepio stopped his endless chatter. 

It chimed again. Jaina glanced at her mother. She didn't look like she could move from her spot.

"I'll get it." Luke's voice rolled through the quiet room. Jaina frowned as she watched her Uncle move towards the door. Her Dad had the key. Why didn't he just open the door?

Jacen's brown eyes bored into hers. "He wanted to warn us."

Outside the door, Han, Anakin, and Chewie waited. Lando had returned to his space station to try to confirm the things Anakin had told them.

Han shifted his weight outside the door. What was taking so long? He looked over at Anakin. Calm, calm, calm. If the kid wasn't a Jedi, Han had never met one.

Anakin forced himself to be calm. Inside, his thoughts were in turmoil. Now would be about the time Obi-Wan would give him an extra hour of meditation. A pang hit him. He would rather his Master was here to support him; he didn't feel ready.

  The door hissed open. Luke looked up slightly expecting to see Han's smug features. Instead, his eyes were met with a pair of blue eyes identical to his own.

"Master Luke." The young man bowed slightly at the waist his eyes diverted slightly to his right in a gesture of respect.

Luke forced a smile. He knew that Anakin would have to have grown. But, he had somehow expected the exuberant youngster who would chortle 'Uncle Luke, Uncle Luke!' when he came to visit. He had expected the spirit if not the size to be the same.

"Why don't you come in."

Han muttered under his breath, "I can find my way in by myself."

Chewie simply growled at Han to behave.

Anakin walked in, automatically walking half a step behind Luke. Nothing had really changed. The carpet had been redone, the walls repainted, but the room was basically the same. Walking farther in, Anakin saw his mother and siblings for the first time in ten years.

Leia stared at Anakin. He was so hansome. So tall.

"Ani?"

Anakin had to fight the reflex to glance behind him, half expecting his grandfather to be there. Instinctively, he knew that this would be harder than his dad. The rest of the family had never accepted him as gone. How could they accept him as returned?

"Hi, Mom." Anakin took a step towards her knowing that she did not have the will power to move on her own. She still believed that he would disappear the instant she touched him.

Leia watched as he drew near. Aggressively, she threw her arms around him holding on as if her will power alone would hold him there.

"Leia, he's not going to stay in one piece for much longer if you keep doing that." Han voiced.

Leia let go. "Anakin I think maybe I should re-introduce you to the people here."

"There's really no need M'lady. I think I know everyone. That's Jacen. Jaina. Luke. Artoo. Threepio. And that would be Mara Jade. Not that we've formally met, but we even get news in Hutt space."

Anakin felt the room grow uncomfortable. Was it the mention of Hutt space? No, they had to know he'd been somewhere. He frowned. "M'Lady," oh Sith! Now there was a wonderful way to address your own mother. 

Jacen was the first to speak. "I find it fascinating that a man who claims to be from Hutt space speaks with such a pronounced Empire accent, and grammatical structure."

"Watch it Jacen. We're here to meet your brother, not make it harder on your mother." Han quickly returned.

"Brother? He's not my brother. He's some kid that was taken from us, not _one of us. How do we know he's not just some pawn in yet another enemy's scheme?"_

"Jacen!" His twin's voice was surprised. She knew he was irate about something, but she didn't think he'd lose all his sense.

"What? I'm just saying that…"

"He is just saying what every news crew will say. Suspicion is still rampant in on Coruscant is it not?" Anakin's voice was amazingly smooth and controlled a credit to his mentors.

Jacen, angry that his target had agreed with him, kept silent. Anakin saw his father go to support his mother. Chewie just gave stony look at his brother. Now was not the time to bring the subject up.

Mara grinned. She liked the kid. He had spunk underneath his placid exterior.

"As long as we are talking about connections to the Empire, why don't you come over here so you can appropriately meet your Aunt?"

Anakin complied. It was not the first time he had met his Aunt, but he had never really had prolonged exposure to her before.

Mara's eyes swept appraisingly over him. Tall and good looking—not exactly hard observations. The braid had a funny color on the end. He stood straight, but she could see the hidden strain in his shoulders.

She shook her head. "It seems that the Skywalker clan has a tendency to let their children be raised by others."

Anakin hid a smirk. She had no idea.

Jacen now stood sulking in the corner. He got his Aunt's jabs. He was being discriminating, but he really didn't care.

Luke walked over. "Hutt space?"

Anakin swept his gaze over at his father.

"I didn't really have time to fill them in on the details kid."

Anakin took an offered seat and began his story. Just as he was about to reveal his kidnapper, the comm. rang. Jacen popped up quickly to answer it. Silence reigned in the room until he returned.

"That was Callista, she wants to know if Mom, Luke, and Mara are still on for dinner tonight."

Callista? Anakin fought down the immediate feeling of betrayal. Pain flashed through his eyes.

Luke noticed immediately. "We made arrangements before we knew. Don't worry. Callista will understand when we cancel. This is more important than dinner."

"NO, I mean, I wouldn't want to cause any trouble. Why don't you go without me?" Anakin forced himself to calm. There was no way that they would believe him over Callista. He would just leave as soon as they were gone. He would wait until they discovered her evil and then he would offer his help. 

Mara knew better than to trust the kid. He lied well, but she had seen better. He reacted to the name, not the reason. "Don't be silly, Anakin. I don't particularly like her. I'd rather spend time with you." It sounded like a bad pickup line, but Mara could see that he'd caught her meaning.

"But, Callista is in charge of the relief effort of Tychlynn VI. They need the support immediately." Jacen said.

Jaina sighed, time to be the Jedi she was supposed to be. "Why doesn't Mara just go? Uncle Luke can fill her in about what happened and Mom can stay here. Mara can handle the decision process with a couple of calls back here."

Anakin released his pent breath. If Callista wasn't that important, he still had a chance. He'd just have to word things carefully until he had their trust.

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  Jaina stood out on the balcony of the apartment. She really should be asleep like the rest of her family, but she couldn't stop thinking. The story seemed to fit, but he had been leery of giving details. He didn't trust them. Which she supposed was fair. Jacen had scoffed at him being a Jedi. Truthfully, Jacen had scoffed at him period. Jaina didn't like being at odds with her twin, and Jacen had some good points. The story did seem fantastic. Still, it did fit the general perceptions she got from Anakin.

"You are twins Jaina, not a mini-army; you do not have to put on a united front." Anakin's voice floated through the air. Jaina kicked herself. She hadn't even felt his approach.

"You read minds in your spare time?"

"I'm very perceptive."

"You know, that sounds very egotistical."

"I never claimed that I don't have an ego. There is a reason I cannot take the trials yet."

Jaina shook her head. At Anakin's age she had already been knighted. What could he possibly have in him that prevented him from becoming a knight? She looked at his hands.

"That's you're old stuffed Reek that mom bought for you."

Anakin nodded. "I asked for it. I needed something from both my families." With a smile he produced the one that Obi-Wan had given him. Holding them together, one could easily see which was worth more money.

"That's pretty expensive. Where'd you get it?"

"My Master gave it to me. It is a part of me, as he is a part of me. But, so is my old one."

Jaina chuckled. "That sounds like a fancy way of saying that we are both equally important."

"Ah, but Jaina you are not. I will not make the mistake of breaking your hearts. You are dear to me, but my oath is to the Order and so to my Master. Painful though it might be, a Jedi's life is one of sacrifice. Sacrifice to attain peace for those who cannot sacrifice. If I must choose, know I will choose my Order."

"I think I must go now." Anakin turned and left. Leaving Jaina to ponder his words and wonder if they had truly lost him, or if he could truly be returned.


	12. The Fight

1st chap = disclaimers except for one. One of the lines has been paraphrased from the Harrison Ford version of _Sabrina. Who ever wrote that screen play gets the credit. BTW it's a great film, you should watch it if you like romances._

YAY DONE WITH FINALS!!!!!! I'm really behind with my writing due to the fact that I had to write an 18 page paper and do a 22 minute video tape presentation. UGH. I would much rather write fic.

No one in particular: Sorry for dragging you away from your studying. But, hey I was writing the last chapter when I was supposed to be writing term papers ;)

ShortySC22: I wish I was going somewhere warm. Ah, well it's pretty warm here now. We're getting Ice storm warnings instead of Snow storm warnings. We made it up to thirty today!

Cammy: You'll probably want to strangle Jacen again. But look on the bright side, he's a Jedi, he can handle it.

Lynx: Thanks

Fire Senshi: here you go.

Heidi M.: No they don't know. Anakin was going to spill his whole guts to the family, but then Callista called and Jacen started poking at his story as unbelievable. He wanted to be taken seriously, so he thought claiming Obi-wan as his Master would be too far fetched. At least that's my take on it.

BTW I couldn't remember the color of Jacen's lightsaber, so I made it green.

Not very fond of the end of this chapter, but I needed to get some stuff going, so it just got tagged on the end.

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    Anakin woke up to the unfamiliar smell of bacon. Well, bacon burning was unfamiliar. 

Half awake he mused that Obi-Wan had to be cooking. Qui-Gon always said that the only reason Obi-Wan wasn't four hundred pounds was because he couldn't cook anything but dessert and tea.

  Then reality kicked in. He was at "home." That meant someone cooked about as good as his Master did. Joy.

Putting on his best "I'm not hungry; I'll just have a cup of juice" look, he bravely strode out to the kitchen. There, he beheld Mara Jade still cooking already burnt bacon.

"You know, you're supposed to take it off once it starts to burn."

"It wouldn't get thoroughly charred that way. Farmboy deserves to eat this after I had to go to dinner with 'I am Queen of the universe' last night."

Anakin nodded with a smirk and reached for a piece of fruit. Mara glanced at the chrono.

"What are you doing up so early?" 

"It's not early." He mumbled as he rummaged around for juice.

"It's 5:15 in the morning."

"Master usually has me up at 5:00. His master tortured him, now he tortures me. If I succeed, I get someone of my own to torture."

Mara grinned. "Perfect! Now all I have to do is make sure Luke doesn't wake up before this cools down. The only thing worse than burnt bacon is cold, burnt bacon."

"You're not going to make him eat that are you?"

"Nope. I'm going to make him take me out for breakfast. I do this often. Why do you think no-one else got up?"

"She is evil."

Mara stopped at the sudden turn of the conversation. She knew who he was talking about, but before she could ask, Jacen wandered into the kitchen. Great, just what she needed.

Green eyes bored into Jacen. Hopefully, he'd gotten his head screwed on straight before he got up. Jacen looked for the last piece of fruit only to see that Anakin was eating it. His eyes narrowed. Mara almost screamed in frustration. No, he didn't get his head screwed on straight.

"How is the newest "Jedi" in the family this morning?" Jacen asked in a pleasant voice.

Anakin refused to get angry. He knew this game. He'd played it enough with smuggling gangs. "I'm fine. Did you sleep well?"

"You think you've got the perfect answer for everything don't you?"

"No, but I humbly accept your compliment." 

Mara felt Luke waking up in the spare bed room. He could feel the tension building through the Force. That meant that the rest of the family would be awake soon also.

"You're no Jedi, I can prove it!"

Luke was in the kitchen now, Jaina on his heels.

"If you wish to offer your proof, I find no problem with that."

"Fine, fight me with your lightsaber. We'll see who is a Jedi, and who is just a con after our money and position."

"Jacen," Luke interrupted, but was cut off by Anakin.

"That's okay Master Luke. If he wants to prove himself, I will give him the opportunity. I believe that 1:00 would be an excellent time don't you?"

Jacen nodded tersely and stalked out of the kitchen past his mother. Before anyone could speak to Anakin, he turned and left in the opposite direction. He needed to meditate before he gave into the temptation of anger.

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    Leia watched as her two children approached each other in the small area below her. She had watched her children duel many times, but never had it been Jacen against Anakin. Never had there been such animosity in a fight.

     Anakin walked towards his brother who was already on the dueling mat. His saber was in his hand. He'd dug it out from its hiding place earlier in the day, and had gone through some exercises in his bedroom.

    Seeing Luke nod. Anakin bowed and ignited his deep golden blade. Jacen's green one sprung to life as he took an aggressive move towards Anakin.

The blow was easily parried. Anakin continued his method of retreat as Jacen again and again took the aggressive stance. Anakin was getting tired. He didn't want to hurt his brother, but Jacen was fighting like this was a battle to the death. 

Anakin reached out to the Force and almost buckled when it slammed into him. He forgot he didn't need to pull so hard now that he didn't have his inhibitor on. Jacen might be good, but he wasn't that good, nor was he fighting clearly. Time to end this, and end it so Jacen wouldn't think he'd gotten lucky.

Anakin flipped backwards. Jacen lunged forward. But instead of Anakin retreating like he had before, he somersaulted over his brother. His blade swung around in and arc as he turned to face his competition. Jacen met the blow, but surprise was written on his face. The look was quickly mastered. Good for him. But, that was hardly the only trick he'd learned from two Jedi Masters and a former Sith Lord.

_Treat your fight as a sacred dance, Anakin. A mistake when not fatal is nothing more than a bridge to your next move. Obi-Wan's voice entered his head. It wasn't exactly applicable in all situations, but it would work here. He'd let Jacen wear his body down, but he had ten times the basic saber skills. _

Luke watched in concern. Jacen was one of the best. And Anakin was being beat to a pulp. He'd given the match five minutes tops, so had Leia. Mara and Han had bet them otherwise. Winning would be great, but he didn't want Anakin hurt. That leap had to have cost the kid a lot of energy. Mara hit him on the arm. She knew what he was thinking, and she didn't like it.

Jacen struck again. His blow was barely parried. Anakin backed up. Jacen moved in for the win. Anakin was against the wall. He had no where to go. Jacen hesitated. Did Anakin just grin? Ignoring the trill's the Force sent him, Jacen attacked, and promptly felt a boot connect with his stomach.

Anakin spun to the right and moved away from the wall as Jacen recovered. His brother straightened up.

"That was a good trick. But not good enough to defeat a true Jedi."

"Well, I guess that I'd have to bisect your arm to win as a true Jedi going by your standards."

It was not something his Master would have liked to hear him say, but Anakin saw that he'd hit a nerve. Jacen was now unbalanced more than he'd been earlier. Too bad, this was going to be too easy now.

Mara had seen enough fights in her time to know that Anakin had been playing possum through the whole fight. Now she had the satisfaction of seeing her instincts prove true. Anakin had gone form barely deflecting blows to twisting and parrying blows before Jacen even thought of them. His lightsaber was a blur. His footwork was incredibly intricate, and smooth. She'd seen better, but from first glance he could defeat the majority of the knights and a couple of the Jedi masters.

Jacen's lightsaber flew across the room and rolled to a stop at Luke's feet.

Anakin had his blade calmly pointed at Jacen's throat. Jacen was panting; Anakin looked like he'd just jaunted down the block. Han looked like he was on top of the world.

"What was that the twins promised us Mara? The latest sensor array's on our ships?"

Luke ignored Han. "It would appear that Anakin tells the truth. I have never seen a display of saber skills like that except from other Jedi."

"Or Sith." Jacen chimed in, although his voice held no conviction in it.

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      Anakin looked at the verdant forests of Yavin IV. The family had decided to take him to the Jedi Academy before the news broke. Now, a week later, he was glad they decided that. It was bad enough here. The press was hovering around the academy like flies on carrion. He could only imagine what it would have been like on Coruscant.

   They had to finally limit the visitors to the academy. There had been no peace until they did. The Republic had stationed Jaina as a special enforcer of the no-fly zone currently around the planet.

Anakin shook his head. When did he become so important? He supposed that the story he told just added to the fire. Currently, they were just starting the investigation into his claims, but soon he would have to be sharing very specific details. And those details weren't going to be pleasant to deal with.

  Jacen was still being rude, but at least he quit calling him a fake Jedi. Jaina was caught between her brothers. She usually ended up spending her free time around Kyp. 

   At least Kyp was something he and Jacen agreed on. Anakin swore that Kyp was staring at Jaina's rear end every time he turned around. Not that it surprised him; Jaina was pretty good looking as far as relatives went. But Kyp's attitude really got to him. The man honestly thought he was above virtually everything. Blech!

Anakin heard a noise behind him. He turned around. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you. I just wanted to see the sun set."

Anakin fought off a stupid grin. His brain had automatically charted out the girl's characteristics. And his brain liked them. In fact his hormones liked them too. Cute and Blonde. Great, just great. Obi-wan would probably kill him if he knew that Anakin had a crush. Not that Obi-wan wasn't normally very tolerant, but he had certain idiosyncrasies from the last Anakin he trained. 

"Oh, you're not interrupting. Not anything important."

She smiled at him and padded over beside him. Her bare feet barely made a sound.

"You always walk around barefoot?"

"Sith invented shoes. I prefer to be free of them unless absolutely necessary."

"Must be nasty when you're rock climbing."

"I said I wear them when necessary. Dork, you're giving me a hard time and I don't even know your name."

Anakin started at the comment. Everyone knew who he was. At least lately they did. Half the new Order stared and pointed when he walked by; the other half constantly plied him with questions.

"Anakin."

"Oh, I see. Can I ask you a question?"

Anakin braced himself for anther round of highly personal questions.

"Sure."

"How old are you?"

He almost laughed in relief, finally a normal question. "18. Now why don't you tell me your name and age?"

"Tahiri, and I'm 16."

Sixteen? Jailbait. Obi-Wan wouldn't have to worry for at least two more years. But, there wasn't anything wrong with being friends. 

"Glad to meet you."


	13. Bar Scene

1st chap = disclaimers

Heidi M: Hmmm. Well, I hope you like this chapter ;)

Jedi-jainafel: Yeah, bummer Huh? I thought about playing with her age, but I'd messed with so many other things, I thought two years wouldn't be too bad to wait. 

Fire Senshi: Well, since you said pretty please…

Lynx: Well that shows you how many times I proof read. I have a tendency not to check my facts all the time (I'm not a real big geography buff in real life and it kind of drips over into my writing). Yes, I do know who Tenel Ka is. Once Jacen quits being retentive (which will be soon, I promise), I might give him a bit of romance of his own and Tenel Ka would be first pick. The chick from the first couple of NJO books was a ditz.

No one in particular: Alas, I'm not going anywhere that I know of. But I will be busy, so I can't say that I'll be updating more frequently.

Pheonix Wolf: Glad you like it. Yeah I'm being pretty nasty with Jacen right now aren't I? He deserves to get it, but someone else will get it worse ;) (Does anyone else hate it when authors make vague comments like that?)

ShortySC22: Whoo. An update just for you!!

Cammy: Shakes head. A bounty hunter I knew it. Well I hope you like this chapter. I've thought about it a lot, so it'll either be very good or really stupid.

As I mentioned above, I don't really like to check out planetary or solar system relations. So, if anyone wants to make a suggestion as to where the "bar" is feel free.

Admittedly, I forgot just how old Luke and Mara would be at this current point, so just roll with the idea that they left baby Ben at the academy for his protection when they went to Coruscant.

One more thing. There's a bad word in here. Remember the PG-13 rating. But it's not that bad.

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  Jaina stared into her non-alcoholic beverage. When she'd come off duty this evening, Kyp had suggested he take her somewhere away from the academy to "relax." Turned out he had the perfect little bar to fly her to. Problem was, she couldn't drink. That left Kyp free to drink because she could fly them back. Currently, he was up at the bar ordering another round for himself. 

She was not having a good time. It was okay at first, but after a few rounds Kyp had started talking about how stuck up Anakin was. How he thought he was better then everyone else at the Academy. Jaina shook her head. First Jacen, now Kyp. Didn't  anyone see the same person she did? Admittedly, he wasn't exactly the friendliest person in the world at first. Then again most people aren't, especially when you take their word with a freighter load of skepticism.

   Personally, she thought he was very considerate. While she was sure that he found certain aspects of the current Jedi training less than complete, she hadn't heard him put down anyone. Kyp, on the other hand, had put down more students than she could count. At the moment, she really didn't know why she was putting up with him.

Jaina was interrupted from her musings by a presence next to her table. It wasn't Kyp. 

"I don't suppose you'd like to buy an old man a drink would you?"

Jaina's eyes flew up to scrutinize the man standing in front of her. Ginger hair and beard, Half smirking lips, Sea blue eyes. Bet he thinks he can charm any woman in the room. Jaina thought.

"Aren't you supposed to at least use a pickup line before you try to get something from me?"

"I'm sorry, I thought you'd prefer the direct, honest approach. Ahem. Are you an Angel?"

Jaina almost snarfed her drink up through her nose.

"What, it always worked for my friend over there."

"Never, Ever use someone else's pickup line. You sounded like a nine-year-old kid, and about as sincere as a politician promising to cut taxes."

"Ahh, well how about you give me a loan. I'm having a tiff with my two friends over there, and they lifted my wallet before I walked away."

"WHAT're you doin' 'round my table'n my girl." Kyp's voice was overwhelmed by the affects of the alcohol he'd consumed.

Something in Obi-Wan immediately disliked the man. Instead of just leaving, he faced him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see your name tattooed on her Ass when I walked up." His voice was incredibly calm and smooth from years of practice.

"Why you little…"

"Kyp, why don't you leave him alone. He didn't mean any harm."

"Are you defending some guy in a bar now? If that's how you're gonna treat me on our date then I'm leaving." With that Kyp slammed back his drink and stalked out.

"I apologize; I didn't mean to cause a fight with your boyfriend."

"He was being a jerk. Why don't you make it up to me by talking with me. We can work on your lines."

"I still have to find a girl with money to pay my tab."

"I have money, and I need someone to talk to."

"If you insist, I'm Ben." Obi-Wan said as he sat down across from her.

"Jaina, Ben is my cousin's name too."

Obi-Wan tried desperately not to freeze in place. He thought she looked a little bit much like Padme.

"I see. I'm sorry I didn't mean to interrupt your privacy."

"You're not interrupting my privacy. If I didn't want company, I would have told you to scram. Public people are real people too you know."

"Somehow, I don't think that statement applies to Senator Borsk." He replied. Jaina smiled. The guy really was too good at deflection to safer ground.

She decided to try a new conversation. "So, what are you doing in this area?"

"Oddly enough, my friends and I are on a type of a road trip. We were going to stop and see the Academy, but it is a bit inaccessible at the moment."

Across the bar Ani laughed.

"What?" Qui-Gon said.

"He's got the 'certain point of view look on his face.' Poor girl."

"My poor Obi-Wan; when did he get so good at deception?"

"I don't know, but personally I think his Master had something to do with it. I heard he was very undisciplined."

"Watch it young man, or you'll find out just how undisciplined I am."

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Two hours later, Jaina was recovering from a fit of laughter.

"You mean Bant actually believed you when you told her humans normally shed their hair?"

"She was four. Besides, I had a terrible dislike of medical facilities at the time."

Jaina sighed. "The bar is going to be closing soon. Why don't I make you and your miserable friends over there a deal? I pay your tab. You let me stay overnight on your ship. In the morning, you can fly me back to the Academy, and I can give you a personal tour."

"Well, as I have no money, I believe we will take you up on the deal. Let me go tell my friends while you pay the tab."

Obi-Wan walked over to Qui-Gon and Ani.

"I told you I could fix our problems. First, we don't have to scrape together money to call Anakin. Secondly, we'll be at the Academy tomorrow morning. Thirdly, I don't have to pay my bar tab. Next time, when I say I have a feeling, listen to me."

Ani snorted, "Who is she, and what did you promise her, a night of making out with a crusty old codger?"

"Ani, your sense of humor has gotten you into trouble in the past. Don't push it."

Jaina wandered up behind them. "You ready to go?"

Two pairs of inquisitive eyebrows raised towards Obi-Wan.

"It's not like that!"

Qui-Gon cut in before Ani could make an ill advised comment at Obi-Wan's very easily targeted expense. "Of course it isn't. Might I suggest that we discuss this on our way to the ship."

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Anakin strolled through the halls of the Academy working on his contact with the Force. With all the emotions swirling around him, one couldn't get a very good read. There were just too many thoughts to break through. Somehow, his bond with his Master had intensified over the last few days. He hoped that was a good sign.

He bit back a huge groan as he saw his brother at the other end of the hallway. Avoidance had been his top priority where his brother was concerned lately. From the look of him, Jacen had been out digging around by the night blooming plants again.

"Jacen."

"Anakin. What are you doing up? Stealing droid parts?"

Wonderful. The instant no-one else is around, Jacen decides to be a jerk.

"Why do you hate me so much?"

"Because, you're nothing more than a petty thief, you just waltz back into our lives and steal my parents' affection."

"In case you didn't notice, they happen to be my parents too. And I hardly think that I've stolen them from you."

"Oh, sure that what you say, but we both know different."

"No, we don't. It appears to me that you had a bias against me before I ever showed up at the apartment."

"Maybe I just don't think it's fair that you have two families. Can't you just stick with your plushy all Jedi one?"

"PLUSHY!! That's rich coming from a kid who had his life and his training handed to him on a silver platter Let's see who's had it worse. Jacen: Full connection to the Force, loving mother, loving father, loving sister, loving Uncle, and would be loving girlfriend if he pulled his head out of the ground. PLUS a very cushy all expenses paid life given the fact that his mother was a Senator and his father was a war hero. Anakin: Kidnapped by evil Jedi, mostly cut off from the Force, living with three cloned Jedi who have to constantly make decisions between keeping the ship going, morality, and food."

Jacen had nothing to say.

"If you want to attack someone so badly Jacen, why don't you take after Kyp? He's the one who came back WITHOUT your twin tonight. You would have noticed if you weren't off feeling sorry for yourself."

Anakin strode off in the other direction. His anger was getting the better of him and he needed to release it into the Force.

Jacen stared at the retreating figure his face wore a small expression of pain.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.


	14. Academy Meetings & Greetings

1st chap = disclaimers

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! And yes, I have based Binks in part on my own dog, although he only thinks he's a big dog. Whatever possessed an eight pound lap dog to think he's a Siberian Husky is beyond me.

FireSenshi: Next installment is here.

Cammy: Well, I managed to snatch Jacen back. But I might have to send you a bill. Hair replacement is very expensive you know.

ShortySC22: You'll just have to wait and see won't you (insert grin)

Phoenix Wolf: Merry Christmas to you to! I decided to get this out today for a special Christmas present to all my readers!  Anyway, You can call me ES it's a bit easier to write than escapistone. 

Greatjedi: well here's your continuation.

HeidiM.: Three clones walked into a training academy…

Jedi jaina-fel: I might just skip a few years here, but I have to set up some story lines first (Yes there is a plot ;) A little bit of Tahiri in this chapter for you.

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    Obi-Wan walked into the kitchen, passing his mentor and first apprentice in a sleep filled haze towards the teapot. Absently, he tossed a piece of meat down for Binks. His constant companion since Anakin had left. Apparently, Binks had decided that Obi-Wan needed Anakin to protect him from household chores. Without Anakin around, Binks had multiple times "saved" Obi-Wan from cooking disasters by whining the instant he left the kitchen.

Ani smiled. "Rough night?"

"Don't be crass about your own granddaughter, Ani."

"Hey, I remember how Padme was. It runs in the genes."

"Yes, well you chased Padme before she gave into you."

"Hey, Padme had feelings before then. I just had to encourage her. Besides, the taste for older partners runs in her too. Me and Padme, Leia and Han, need I go on?"

"Ani, don't make me come over there and hurt you."

"Hey, umm could I bother you guys for a glass of water?"

Qui-Gon smiled, and let the other two regain their speech. They tended to block out the universe when they bickered. Gently he handed the glass to Jaina. Binks automatically came over to search for food.

"Hi there boy." She said as she scratched his ear. "He really is a nice dog where did you get him?"

"In a back alley somewhere."

Jaina shook her head. In the course of one night she had grown incredible fond of them Now that she was fully rested, she could observe them more. 'Jim' was the tallest of the three and apparently the most beloved. Incredibly insulting digs at 'Ben' or 'Andir" were allowed, but the other two always got a bit protective and careful when teasing 'Jim'. 'Andir" seemed to be the clown of the group and constantly talked about machines.

'Ben' seemed to be the steady force in the group. Steady, but sarcastic none the less. In the well lit kitchen, Jaina had the strangest sense of déjà vu. It was like she'd seen his hair before. Now that was strange. Kyp must have put something in her drink last night.

Ani piped up. "I suppose we'd better head over to the academy before all the good parking spots are taken." With that, he skipped off to the cockpit, throwing a wink at Obi-Wan.

Forcing away a million thoughts about what he should have done to Ani when he was younger, Obi-Wan turned back to Jaina. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes. Thank You." Privately, Jaina wondered where the owner of the room was. It was too lived in and oddly decorated to be a guest room, but she really didn't have the right to ask whose it was.

"We would like to thank you for your generosity…" Jaina cut Qui-Gon off.

"Don't bother. It's been my pleasure. In fact, if you don't mind, I was wondering if you'd let me show you around. I've got the day off, and I can give you a much better tour than the standard one."

"Oh, I'm sure that's not necessary. We wouldn't want you to give up your free time to show us around." Qui-Gon stated.

"But it is necessary, to me. I want to do this for you guys."

"I'm sure it will be lovely then." Qui-Gon glanced over at Obi-Wan as Jaina left the kitchen to head to the cockpit.

"What?"

"I'm beginning to think Ani was correct in his observations about young Solo."

"You're being paranoid. She's just a very nice young lady."

"I'm not disputing her niceness just her reason. Nice young ladies, in my experience, do not normally volunteer their days off to guiding around absolute strangers."

"She's a Jedi."

"That doesn't mean the same thing it used to."

"If you are suggesting that she has some sort of diabolical plot in her head, I'm not speaking to you."  
  


"SITH!! Obi-Wan Kenobi. Are you totally clueless about the other sex? Just because I believe she's got an ulterior motive doesn't mean I think she's going to drag you off and chain you somewhere. Although at the moment, I dare say you might like that."

"That's not nice." 

"Obi-Wan, all I'm saying is that you have a tendency to underestimate your appeal to the opposite sex sometimes.  You flirted with that poor girl so much last night; it would not surprise me if she had a crush on you."

"She has a boyfriend."

"He's a jerk, and you rescued her from him. Just don't play with her emotions."

"I don't intend to play with her at all. I am still a Jedi. I still uphold my vows. At the moment, that means upholding my old vows until I know where I stand with the new order."

Qui-Gon smiled fondly at him. "I never doubted your intentions, Obi-Wan. I just needed to point out that your point of view might be a bit skewed."

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Luke peeked into the meditation room. Inside there was a member of the Solo family, but not the one he was looking for.

"Master Luke." Anakin's respectful voice came from his position on the floor.

"I'm sorry I disturbed you, Anakin. I was looking for you brother."

"I thought he was your apprentice." Anakin was confused. Even with their Force powers running at a tenth of their normal power, Obi-Wan had no problem distinguishing his essence. Luke had a stronger alliance with the Force than his master did. Why wasn't he able to tell the difference between him and his brother?

Anakin wasn't the only one confused. What did Jacen being his apprentice have to do with anything? Luke wondered. He decided to push it off. "Do you know where your brother is?"

"No. Why?"

"I need to talk with him about his behavior."

"Really?" Anakin's voice chippered up as he stood to walk alongside his Uncle.

Luke hid his amusement. It was the first normal sibling reaction he'd seen out of Anakin.

"Apparently, he had an altercation with Kyp Durron this morning. Something about Jaina, a bar, and a stranger, Kyp's getting his teeth replaced at the moment."

Anakin grinned. "Its about time Jacen pulled his head out of his Ass."

Luke fought the double take that threatened to overwhelm him. Did Anakin just say that? Mara had just said that morning that she thought Anakin was warming up to them. Maybe this was a sign.

Anakin closed his eyes for a second. "He's over there."

Luke raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

"You know, you're starting to pick up your wife's facial expressions, Master Luke. Picking out Force signatures is something you have to be good at to stay alive when you're being hunted by cloned Jedi."

Luke sighed and started walking in the direction Anakin had pointed out. It was unnerving to have Anakin walk half a step behind him all the time. How did the old Jedi put up with it? The formalities seemed stifling.

"Anakin!" Tahiri's voice floated down the corridor. 

Anakin's face tugged up in a stupid (aka slightly lovesick) grin that he'd inherited from his grandfather. "Don't say anything important to him before I catch up with you, Master Luke." With that Anakin bounded off to have his morning ritual "chat" with his latest "friend."

Luke shook his head. More often than not he'd forgotten Anakin was eighteen and not fifty in the short time he'd been back. It made his crush on Tahiri all the more surreal.

Turning around the corner, he walked into a small outdoor garden. There Jacen was trying to coax a dog into eating. That was odd. Jacen could usually get animals to do whatever he wanted.

"Hi, Uncle Luke."

"Jacen, what are you doing?"

"Jaina caught a ride with some, ahem, people this morning. This is their dog. She felt bad about leaving it in their ship, so she asked me to take care of it. It is the coldest and most stubborn animal I have ever met."

"Where is Jaina now?"

"Giving them a guided tour."

"Oh. Jacen, I need to talk to you about…"

"BINKS!" Anakin's voice cut in behind Luke. The lackadaisical dog sprung to life and ran over to Anakin. He wagged his tail and attempted to lick Anakin's face.

"Down, boy." Anakin laughed. Then his initial reaction caught up with his brain. He reached out at a specific corner of his mind and tugged. Shielded! Leave it to his Master to use their reunion as a lesson in Force awareness. No matter, he knew exactly where his Master was even with their bond shielded. Without another word, Anakin dashed off leaving a much bewildered uncle and brother.

Jacen watched his brother go, the dog trailing behind him. He looked at Luke.

"Shall we talk about this later?" Luke asked.

Jacen nodded, and they followed after Anakin's lead.

Jaina turned around and smiled at the small group of men following her. She didn't see Ani roll his eyes, because her focus was distracted by her youngest brother leaping over a railing and dropping four feet before running at breakneck speed towards them. He skidded to a stop right behind the group.

"Anakin, how many times must I tell you not to run in temples, schools, public buildings or otherwise civilized places."

"Sorry Master." Suddenly Anakin had his Master lifted an inch off the ground hugging him.

'Master?!?!' Jaina's lips mouthed the words, but her voice wouldn't cooperate.

"Anakin, put me down before you cause a scene." Obi-Wan's words lost their sting as he tugged at Anakin's braid. "I have missed you also Padawan."

As Anakin greeted the other two men, Jaina saw her brother and uncle arriving followed by a now panting Binks. Jacen jogged right up, but Luke stopped mid-stride. His face was as pale as a sheet.

"Ben?" Luke's voice cracked.

'Ben?!?!' Jaina felt like she was getting good at impersonating a fish. Master. Ben. Master Ben. Sith, no. She looked at her drinking companion. He didn't seem like a venerable Jedi Master last night.

"Hello Luke." Obi-Wan frowned. He expected Jaina not to take the news well. After all, he couldn't exactly tell her last night. She probably would have called for back up and genetic verification. But Luke should have been surprised. Unless, Anakin hadn't told him everything.

_Anakin?___

_Yes, Master?_

_What exactly did you tell your family?_

_It's kind of a long story._

_I thought so._

"Why don't we go somewhere quiet where we can discuss this calmly, and without eavesdroppers?"

Luke nodded.  Ben had been easy to pick out. He glanced over at the other new comers and thanked the Force he had a good heart.

"Father?"

"Luke."

"I think I should call the rest of the family." Luke's shaking voice barely wormed it's way out in a whisper.

"You trained him well, Obi-Wan. He can think even when his brain has gone into a state of shock." Qui-Gon smiled. This was going to be extremely interesting.


	15. Family fights

Argh! Vacation really cuts into my writing time. 

1st chap=disclaimers

Ashley: Thanks for your review. Unfortunately, Padme will not be returning. She's not a Jedi, so she won't get cloned. (Bummer, I know)

Jjf: Well, this chapter is a little heavier. You'll probably see personal reaction/conversations in the next chapter.

Lynx: Is it just me? Or are there two of you in that review? (It's too early in the morning! I'm rhyming!)

HeidiM: Well I brought in the rest of the family here. Next chapter will get to see some individual reactions

ShortySC22: Glad you liked it!

Cammy: I made you wait a long time didn't I?

Phoenix Wolf: Yeah, I guess I sort of do have a twinge of the dark side once and a while. (It's because I started my training late ;) Yoda did do the vast majority of Luke's training, I just took Qui-Gon's quip as a little barb tossed at his favorite apprentice. (Plus, it was the only way I could think of to finish the chapter.)

FireSenshi: Here's your next update.

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Uncomfortable was what Obi-Wan felt at the moment. Uncomfortable and nervous, if Jedi could be nervous, which he wasn't sure they could. Anakin seemed happy he mused. On their way to the meeting room Luke had suggested, Anakin had whispered something about missing the sane people in his life. Obi-Wan shook his head. Anakin was still going through culture shock. He still remembered when he first left the temple to go on missions. He'd been so excited, but deep down he found everything a little overwhelming.

He supposed that was how Anakin felt at the moment. While Hutt space was not exactly the Jedi Temple, it was the only environment, now matter how odd, that Anakin had lived in. Obi-Wan's gaze wandered over to Ani. This was going to be very hard on him. If his own family didn't kill him, the rest of the Republic would.

Qui-Gon had lost his playful demeanor two steps into their short journey. He now had on his serious Jedi Master look. It had curled the toes of the council at times. It was like looking at the icy finish of a marble column. It could convey any range of emotion the viewer wished to see in it, but it truly revealed nothing.

Jaina had gotten over being shocked to being angry. She was hurt no doubt, and now she had Padme's look of righteous indignation. Being a Jedi, she should work over her anger quickly. Then again she might not. Obi-Wan had all but given up on deciphering anyone descended from a Skywalker. Their moods could evaporate like a drop of water on a hot skillet, or they could harbor them for months and years and you would never know.

Jacen, surprisingly, looked like he was welcoming his best friend. His eyes were lit up like candles. He had pulled Anakin over to the edge of the room as soon as they had entered. Anakin had been shocked at the action, but was currently having a whispered conversation with his brother.

Luke had left the room, no doubt to make a few personal calls.

It was a pleasant room they were in. A large window filtered sunlight in, and there was a large fern in the corner of the room.

What to do?

A conversation with Qui-Gon was out. He never talked with that face on, not while there were strangers around. Jaina was too upset. Jacen and Anakin were still talking. He had a feeling they were talking about him, so he couldn't barge in. Ani was brooding. There were only two people that could talk to Ani when he was brooding and they were both dead.

Just then the door whooshed open. Instead of Luke, Mara came in toting along her son in her arms.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone was in here."

I'm cursed with absent minded apprentices. Obi-Wan thought. Couldn't Luke remember to tell his own wife?

Jaina broke out of her reverie. She had finally figured out where she recognized the hair color from. Anakin had a length of it at the end of his braid. She was about to brood on that fact when her Aunt entered.

"Didn't Uncle Luke talk to you?"

Mara frowned. "No. He said that he needed to call Leia right away. He seemed a bit scatter brained. Ben insisted that we walk this way and made a fuss until I came in here."

"Oh." There was short silence in the room as everyone stared at Mara. Then Ben, insisted on getting down. The rest of the room's occupants expected to see him run to Ani. Instead he ran straight to Obi-Wan.

"C'ndy?"

Obi-wan laughed and picked the child up. "No little one. Didn't your mother tell you never take candy from a stranger?"

Ben's eyebrows furrowed together. "Not strngr. Daddy know."

"Yes your father knows me, but your father knows a great deal of people. Not all of them should be trusted."

Ani rolled his eyes. "I forgot his unerring pull towards children. The only people who try to get in his lap more are Twi'Lek whores." He muttered under his breath. 

Mara smiled politely as Obi-Wan returned the child to her. Her green eyes demanded an explanation as to why the other six occupants were in the room.

"These are Anakin's Jedi friends." Jaina explained.

A light dawned in Mara's eyes. "Really? So, which one of you gets to put up with him?" She said as she jerked her thumb towards Anakin with a slight smirk on her lips.

"That would be me."

"And do you have a name or is "me" an ancient Jedi name?"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi." 

Mara looked at him, frowned, and then snorted. "I guess little Ben needs more credit. You do know Luke. You could have called first, you know."

"That was the original plan, but communications to the Academy are expensive if you want to get through. The channels are all taken up by reporters' broadcasts."

Mara kept her requisite frown in place. It was bad enough that he had a perfect answer to her question, but he'd been so polite. How was she supposed to roast him while Luke was gone? It was strange, sometimes she thought her mothering instincts were stronger towards Luke than towards Ben. She didn't want her husband's optimism clouding her judgment of the three new Jedi.

"Who are your other two companions?"

"Erm, well that would be Qui-Gon Jinn, and that would be Anakin Skywalker." 

Mara locked her eyes on the tall man in the corner. He looked full of sorrow and guilt. Like a murderer about to be executed. He looked just like Luke when he brooded.

"So, you just expect me to believe you're Obi-Wan Kenobi back from the dead?" 

She had expected a response from Anakin or Obi-Wan. What she saw was a protective glance from Ani and a lethal spark from Qui-Gon. 

"It is up to you what you believe. I can only offer the facts. From my own point of view of course."

A straight shooter, Mara mused. "Well, I'm pretty fond of your apprentice over there, and I'd hate to not be opinionated. I guess that makes me a believer."

Obi-Wan smiled. "Your insight serves you well."

"Actually, I just don't want a hassle from Luke."

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A few hours later, they were all seated around a dinner table waiting for Han and Leia to arrive. Leia had been called to a nearby system and Han had flown her there. Chewie had stayed at the academy and was currently sitting opposite Ani. He was sending him very nasty looks and the occasional snide growl.

Jaina was doing her best impersonation of an ice princess. Jacen after his initial burst of questions had settled down to an unusually subdued state. Ani was still brooding. Qui-Gon's face was still impassive as he made polite diplomatic conversation with Chewie and Luke. Luke was distracted and looked about ready to jump out of his skin waiting for Leia to arrive.

Mara in the mean time was having a rather lively battle of wits with Obi-Wan concerning senators. Apparently, they thought alike on the subject. Anakin was content to listen in, and Ben was perfectly happy to play with a garishly bright piece of plastic that Ani had given him.

Leia and Han walked in. Han had his hand casually resting on his blaster. Leia's face showed where Jaina had gotten her ice princess pose from.

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon rose from their seats to acknowledge her position. Ani would have, but he thought it best not to rile her in that manner.

"General Kenobi," Leia's voice wavered at first but soon smoothed out. "I am honored to finally make your acquaintance as an adult."

"The honor is mine, M'Lady."

They sat down quickly and began the meal in silence. Half an hour later, no-one had said a word. 

Qui-Gon cleared his throat. "Since we are all present, perhaps now would be a good time to explain certain things."

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Two hours later, four Jedi were staring out at the sky on a small veranda.

"That went _well."_

"Obi-Wan, your sense of humor got worse when I passed on."

"What do you think was worse, Luke's righteous indignation about Callista or Leia calling Ani a spineless womprat and tossing potato salad on his head?" Anakin asked.

Ani looked over at the other four. "I deserved the potato salad. I deserved it all."

Qui-Gon shook his head. "And I thought Obi-Wan could brood. Wasn't Ms Organa-Solo the one who helped get your statue put up as a hero?"

"Commemorating a dead father and living with him alive are two different things." Obi-Wan stated.

Ani smiled a wan smile. "At least we know Luke is going to have plenty of time to meditate tonight. I don't think Mara will be getting anywhere near him after her 'You would never defend me like that' speech."

"I believe Mara has had a rough time with the memory of Callista. Everyone thought she would be so perfect for Luke. They accepted her. Mara was someone known out of necessity. She had to earn everyone's love." Anakin sighed.

"I believe we can count Han and Chewie on our side as well. They immediately accepted Anakin and his general story. The detailed version does not appear to have swayed them." Obi-Wan observed.

Qui-Gon nodded. "Three smugglers on our side. What does that say about us?"

"It says we haven't changed. We're still the 'defiant' training line. The Jedi 'council' doesn't like us all that much, but the populace does."

Ani turned towards the door. "At least they are letting us stay. We still have a chance that way."

"Agreed, I suggest that we retire for the evening. I have a feeling that tomorrow will be…draining."


	16. Confessions and Counseling

First chap = disclaimers.

Yes, I'm finally updating, don't give me that nasty look ;)

Jedi-sylvar: Jaina, hmm well I guess you'll have to wait and see.

HeidiM: The potato salad seems to be the most commented on part. As for Ani, he's going to be going through some rough times coming up.

Mordant: Changing names? Well here is your update. I updated my other SW story too, so you get two on one day!

Jedi-jainafel: Well, you get to see how Obi-Wan reacts in this chapter. (Sorry he turned out so cranky, but he was mirroring my mood at the time *Shrugs*)

Pheonix Wolf: Yes, I am planning something, but there are a lack of evil minions to build it for me.

Lynx (and Vader): Hmm another update for Lynx, and here's a to-go container of potato salad for Vader. Choose your dumping ground wisely.

Cammy: Hmmm, I wonder if you could kill the entire Skywalker/Solo clan? Best not to try it I think, it gets too expensive patching them up all the time. Maybe – Stress on Maybe—I'll have them be nice to Ani.

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Obi-wan stared at his apprentice as he pulled himself up off the training mat. "You're distracted by something and it isn't the fight from last night."

"Yes. Its just that, well I usually meet someone about this time and."

"And you're late for your appointment?"

"Yes, Master."

"Well then, why don't you go introduce me to your companion."

"Are you sure? I mean we haven't decided when to break the actual news of who you are to the rest of the galaxy."

Obi-Wan's eyebrows narrowed. "I am sure my apprentice. Now, lead on."

Anakin was sweating. Obi-Wan was going to kill him, no doubt about it. Tahiri came in sight she waved and bounded over.

"ANAKIN," she half squealed half demanded, "Where were you? I thought you weren't coming."

"I was training."

Tahiri glanced over at Obi-Wan. He didn't look happy. He had felt the underlying attraction between them the instant that she came into view. He wanted to pound his head into the wall. Did all of his apprentices have to go hormonal around 18 or 19? Then again, all of his apprentices had been Skywalkers. It had to run in the blood.

"Hi!" Tahiri's voice startled him from his unpleasant train of thought. Ugh, she was more smitten than Anakin was. At least Padme had the dignity to play footsy with Ani when Obi-Wan wasn't around. This one was head-over-heels and proud of it. So, much for the celibate Jedi days.

"I am honored to meet you Miss?"

"Tahiri. You must have been training with Anakin. I haven't seen you around. Are you a new student?"

"No, I'm a very old student. I'm so old, I'm Anakin's Master."

Anakin failed at hiding his horrified look. Obi-Wan had somehow in a total of one minute deduced the whole situation with Tahiri and was not happy. Obi-Wan had been moody enough after last night, now, he was really cranky. And, he was going to make Anakin pay for it. Whoever said Jedi Masters weren't vindictive needed to get their historical facts right.

"Your Master? Anakin, you didn't tell me he was here."

"He didn't get in until yesterday, I didn't even know he was coming."

"Yes, he was very preoccupied. But who wouldn't be around such pleasant company."

Tahiri blushed at the compliment. Anakin blushed out of 1/3 mortification, 1/3 jealousy, and 1/3 irritation.

"I'm honored to be one of the first people he introduced you to. What is your name?"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi, but you can call me Ben if you like. Well I must be going. Have a good afternoon you two."

With that, Obi-Wan left Anakin to stumble through a rather long explanation to Tahiri.

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Mara glanced icily at Luke when he entered their kitchen. "So, have you been able to contact poor, mistreated, angelic Callista?"

"You don't have to be nasty about it, Mara."

"Oh yes I do. You, who claim to be so in love with me, adamantly defended her honor to four men whose lives she made absolutely miserable. You ignored a Jedi Master, Your Father, Your Beloved Ben Kenobi, Your Kidnapped Nephew, and Your WIFE, in favor of her."

"Allright, I made a mistake. Callista skipped town when the news of Anakin hit. Han is checking with Lando, but they think she went into Hutt Space."

"You made a mistake? So that makes me?"

Luke Sighed. "It makes you right."

"And that makes you?"

"It makes me wrong."

"And you are going to?"

"Buy you a new paint job for your ship, a room full of roses and an expensive dinner?"

"Ah, Farmboy, it's a good thing I can't stay mad at you long. Otherwise, I would have shot you by now."

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Jacen smiled placidly at his father. He, Han, and Chewie had basically bugged out of the Academy rooms to the hangar bay after Jaina went on her patrol shift that morning. Leia had been unbearable. One minute she was cursing Ani's every breath, the next she was chastising herself for being so hard on him. Han had spent last night and the early morning hours being understanding. Then, he finally said that Leia was being inconsiderate, and that for a woman who had a statue dedicated to Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight she was being rather unforgiving.

That quip got both him and Chewie kicked out of the room Luke set aside for them. Jacen had heard the commotion and decided to hide from his Mother's wrath. Now, Han was in a bad mood and he and Chewie were yelling back and forth at each other while they worked on the _Falcon. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a cloaked figure slide along the side of the building._

Curious he followed it. He gained on it quickly, his Jedi training making him faster. The figure bent over and began to sort through a garbage can. Suspicious, Jacen started to make a move to grab the figure's hand, and found himself promptly pinned against the wall, three feet off the ground.

Looking down he could see his grandfather staring up at him. He felt Ani gently let him down. 

"Never sneak up on me, Jacen. I have lived in many echelons of society, all of them trained me to react very quickly when someone follows you."

Jacen looked at him suspiciously. "What are you doing with our refuse?"

"Digging through it. Is there a rule I don't know about the garbage?"

"No, but what could you possibly want in there?"

"Oh, well I was hoping you had conveniently left a red crystal in here that I could use the darkside on and fashion a lightsaber. That way, I could overtake the entire Jedi Order in one fell swoop and rule the Galaxy. My family is pretty pathetic at the moment, and Obi-Wan will probably suffer a breakdown before I reach him, so I won't have much serious opposition."

Jacen blushed. "I didn't mean to sound, well, that is to say…"

"You didn't mean to sound like a paranoid Jedi having a conversation with Darth Vader?"

Jacen sighed. "I'm making a total ass of myself with everyone lately."

"Yes, Anakin told me. In my experience, if you don't mind, whenever I was being an ass I usually had something I was hiding. If you just let it out in the open, you could avoid some very serious problems later. Bottling it up won't help."

Jacen blanched. He didn't expect Ani to read him so easily. "Well, I mean, I thought I'd dealt with it."

"Obviously you haven't if you're reacting on it. Why don't you tell me? Trust me; I highly doubt you've done anything worse than what I've done."

Jacen shook his head and sat down on the ground by the dumpster. Ani mirrored his movements and sat facing him. "The family will hate me when they find out."

"Jedi don't hate. That eliminates a good portion of the family circle."

Jacen let his eyes glaze over as he stared at nothing. "I heard him leave."

"What?"

"The night Anakin left. I heard him leave. I thought it was funny that the door was opening at that time of night, but I just didn't get up and check."

"It was an honest mistake, Jacen. You weren't that old to take the blame."

"You don't understand. Anakin had made the presents for me and Jaina. I had been complaining about them to her in the kitchen after Anakin went to bed. But, I think he heard me."

"You think his life is your fault."

"Of course his life is my fault. I drove him to leave. Then I didn't check on him when I heard him leave. How else would you interpret that?"

"I would interpret that as highly egotistical."

Jacen stared at him. His grandfather wasn't of the darkside, he was just plain nuts.

"You in your two ignorant and childish acts are going to take credit for a boy's entire life? Anakin's life could very well save the Jedi from extinction for a second time. Plus, he has had one of the best apprenticeships that there has ever been."

Jacen shook his head. "You have a strange point of view. Anakin has had a terrible life, and you and Obi-Wan would have warned us."

"True, we would have warned you had we been able to escape without Anakin's help, but perhaps not. Perhaps without Anakin running away, we would just be more minions under Callista's control. I'm not saying what you did was right, but you were still a child and you cannot hold yourself to the guidelines of adult behavior. But, you must hold yourself to them now. What has happened has happened, you cannot change it. You can only change what you do in the present and in the future."

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Anakin smiled as he sauntered along the corridors of the Academy. Jacen had taken him part hunting, and he had a happy collection tucked under his belt and stowed in his hands. His steps slowed as he saw Luke staring out the window at the dusk.

What was that speech he gave Jacen earlier about changing the present and future? Resignedly, he made his way over to his son.

"Luke, don't look like that, your face will freeze that way."

Luke's eyebrows got buried in his hair. Did he just hear correctly?

"Father?"

"Call me Ani, if you want to, I don't think I really deserve the title."

Luke smiled wanly, Ani was the person he'd imagined him to be. Somehow, that made his life seem better.

"I think 'Father' is an appropriate title. I have fond memories of the last time I called you that."

"And Obi-Wan thinks I'm strange. No wonder he went prematurely grey. What did you do as a child; kill womp rats in the circulation vents?"

Luke laughed despite himself then sobered. "Its kind of strange given what has been going on, but I'm a little down at the moment."

"That's not strange."

"No, its what I'm down about. I think I made Obi-Wan mad at me, but I don't know what I did."

"My guess is that you've never had to deal with mood swing Obi. He can get rather cranky sometimes, right now he's in full swing."

"He was cranky when I started to talk to him earlier, but then I said that I agreed with you guys and he brightened up. Thing were going along fine. Then, all of a sudden, he was really icy and distant. I felt like I was dealing with a Senator. He made a very formal bow and excused himself."

"That's not like Obi-Wan. You didn't call anyone clumsy did you?"

"What? NO, I mean why would that upset him?"

"Its just one of his pet peeves. Let's see. Hmmm. What did you say right before you noticed his attitude change?"

"I think we were talking about that Jinn person that came with you guys. I asked Ben if he was sure we could trust him because he seems a bit reckless to me."

Ani hung his head and tried desperately not to laugh. "Luke, if I were you, I would go grovel to Obi-Wan and apologize. And never, ever say anything mean about Qui-Gon in front of him again."


	17. Love, Life and a Jerk

First chap=disclaimers

Phoenix Wolf: Yes, it was a touch sweet; I just needed to have a light chapter because things are going to get nasty a little later.

Mordant: Glad you liked it. BTW I finished my other SW fic.

Anne: So glad you joined us!

Cammy: Sad to say, Ani will not be having so great of a life for the next couple of chapters (Hey, you were the one who wanted his life to come back and haunt him."

MasterSolo: Thanks

Heidi: Yeah, I'm kinda fond of that part with Obi too.

Angelx06: Thanks

FireSenshi: Here you go

Silverseer: Well I'm endeavoring to fix the problem with this chapter ;)

All right, fair warning for those reading this story: First, it'll be getting a touch more angsty (I think) after this chapter. Also, I promised that I wouldn't, but I might skip a couple of years (Haven't decided yet).

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Ani sat staring at Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon was staring at Obi-Wan, and Obi-Wan was staring three tables over at his very enamored apprentice.

"It isn't personal Obi-Wan. Things like this just happen." Qui-Gon voiced.

"Then why do they always happen to me?"

"She seems very nice."

"She's sixteen, Ani. He's eighteen. Do the words 'statutory rape' mean anything to you?"

"You know full well my grandson isn't playing patty cake with her. You're just being stubborn."

"My last apprentice played tonsil hockey with his twin, Ani. I don't put anything past your family."

"Ani is right Obi-Wan, you are being too suspicious. What's wrong with a little romance? I always thought the Old Order was too strict about it."

"You thought that about nearly everything in the Old Order, Qui-Gon. Besides, you only think that because you had a thing for Tahl."

"See that's your problem. You've never had a serious, floating on air, hopelessly in love experience."

"Shut up and let me brood, Ani."

A slight clearing of a throat brought the conversation to a halt.

"Ben, could I talk to you?"

"Sit down Luke. Don't worry, Qui-Gon doesn't bite."

Luke sat down. "Well see I um, came to apologize."

"Really, what for?"

"About what I said earlier, you know, about that guy."

"Oh, you've been talking about me? I'm flattered." Qui-Gon quipped.

Luke turned a bright red. "I wasn't anything personal it was just that…"

"Master Luke, Jedi have been telling Obi-Wan horrible things about me for ages. Interestingly enough they tend to bother Obi-Wan more than they do me. He tends to mother hen everyone he's close to."

Ani snorted, "You should see him protect Anakin. You'd think the kid was made of glass by the way he defends him."

Obi-Wan sighed and gave a weak smile in Luke's direction. He'd always been the stable one in virtually all of his relationships. Protecting those around him came as a natural result.

Luke smiled back. "So, what were you talking about?"

A moan escaped Obi-Wan's lips. "We were discussing the sexual practices of your family."

Luke spit the hot chocolate he was drinking across the table as his face flushed red.

Ani grinned. "Contrary to popular opinion, Obi-Wan can spell both Bar and Sex."

"Yes, well I got my information on the second from you Ani. I wasn't the one hitting on women when I was nine. And you drove me to the first."

"You knew him when he was nine?"

"Unfortunately."

"But I thought you said he was an accomplished pilot when you met him?"

"He was."

"At nine?!"

"What can I say? I'm special." 

"Ani, your lack of ego astounds me."

Qui-Gon shook his head. "If you'll excuse me, I have an appointment with a Mister Han Solo. Apparently he needs me to pick out some appropriate 'repentance' flowers for him in the forest."

Ani frowned, "Doesn't he have a son that's botanically inclined?"

Obi-Wan swatted at Ani. "Would you ask Luke to pick out an 'I'm sorry' gift for Padme?"

Luke's eyebrows shot up. "Was Padme my mother's name?"

Ani got a slightly dreamy look on his face. "Padme Amidala, Queen and Senator of Naboo, the most beautiful, graceful, angel to ever set foot on Coruscant."

Obi-Wan's head hit the table. "The Force hates me."

Luke looked at him. "You didn't like my mother?"

"Like her? She was a friend, as far as politicians go, you've just never heard Ani talk about her. From the time he was fourteen, anything would remind him of Padme and he would get that look. Then he would talk incessantly about her. Sometimes he wrote really awful poetry."

"Hey, I loved her."

"Yes, and you should thank me for putting up with Jar-Jar while you went off pitching woo."

"I thought you liked Jar-Jar."

"I was very good at being diplomatic."

"Excuse me, but did you say that my mother was a Queen?"

The smile returned to Ani's face. "Yeah."

Obi-Wan stood up. "If you'll excuse me, I believe I will allow your father to tell you about Senator Amidala. I need to go rescue my current apprentice from the evil jaws of twitterpation."

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Ani whistled to himself as he sauntered down the hallway. Luke had been totally engrossed in the story of Padme until he got called away. Apparently, he was going to do a news conference announcing the return of Obi-Wan Kenobi and the turning of Callista. 

Thinking about Padme made him think about their children. He was building a relationship with Luke, but Leia was a problem. She had basically refused to leave her room after the announcement. Well, he'd never been one to fear entering a hostile situation.

Walking up to the door, he could see that it was locked. It was a good guess that Leia wouldn't voluntarily let him in. He smiled. He'd never met an electronic pad that didn't like him. The lock readily let him in. Threepio was standing near the door to alert Leia to any visitors. Using the Force, Ani shut him down before he could utter a sound.

"You know, some may find it a touch hypocritical that you have a statue of your father made and then dump potato salad on him."

Leia spun around. "How did you get in here? Where's Threepio?"

"Mechanical objects and I have a deep understanding."

"Get out."

"Now that's not a very nice thing to say to your own father."

"You're not my father, you're his clone."

"Then you have no reason to hate me. I'm just another person."

Leia glared at him.

"Hey, don't blame me. I was trained by a well respected negotiator and married a Senator. I'm very good at winning arguments." 

"Why did you have to pop up now? Hasn't my family been through enough? Do you know what will happen when the press gets a hold of this?"

"My guess is that something bad will happen. Yes, your family has been through too much. And I had to pop up now because it's better now than to hide and have more trouble from hiding."

Leia sighed. "I don't know that I can accept you as my father."

"Then don't. You forgave me. That is all I would ask for. Look at me as someone who helped your son."

Leia shook her head. "Are all Jedi like this?"

"No, most are much more proper."

"I'll call a truce. Fair?"

"Fair."

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Jaina smiled as Kyp threw his arm around her. They'd made up as soon as she'd gotten back from her patrol. The wounds that Jacen had inflicted had healed quickly, and they were going to catch a bite to eat.

Turning around the corner, Kyp walked straight into Obi-Wan.

"Hey watch it." Kyp said to Obi-Wan, who was now sprawled on his butt on the floor.

"Well, if it isn't one of the high and mighty Jedi. Here to tell us all what we're doing wrong? I don't know how you can handle a lightsaber. You're so uncoordinated. What did your parents name you before the Jedi glommed on? Oafy-Wan?"

Obi-Wan had had a very stressful week. He was already in one of his cranky phases, and a great deal of things had happened in a short time period. Normally, he would just blow it off. He would just give a scathing remark. 

But, he wasn't feeling normal. He was feeling cranky, and Kyp had just landed smack dab on Obi-Wan's #1 pet peeve. Standing up, Obi-Wan brushed off his clothes and began to walk away. 

"See you around Oafy-Wan!"

That did it. Obi-Wan turned around and walked straight up to Kyp. Smiled, and kicked him in the crotch.


	18. Pain and Protests

First chap = Disclaimers

Mordant: Here's the next chap

JJF: Well, your request came in when I pretty much had this chapter written, but I think I have a scene you'll really like coming next chapter.

BlackWings: Yes it is isn't it?

Anne: Yes, it's not exactly following the code, but hey, even Obi-Wan can't always put up with a jerk like that :)

Light02: I'm glad you caught the name thing. It was the only way that I could torture Qui for his mistake W/O really hurting him

Shorty Sc22: I'm glad that you liked the chapter.

HeidiM: Thanks! Obi is starting to be a scene stealer, I might have to cut him back a bit he even stole a couple lines from Qui-Gon this time around.

Anonimous: Thanks

Cammy: The end of this chap is for you. No you don't have to like Padme, because she's not coming back. For the record, you can torture Kyp if you want.

PheonixWolf: Yes, Kyp does know who Obi-Wan is because he watched the broadcast Luke did and he's smart enough to figure out that the three new guys walking around are the old Jedi. Just assume Jaina told him which was which.

SilverSeer:Thanks!

Lynx and Vader: Hmm, planning on bringing back Yoda I am, but patient you must be.

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Luke Skywalker boldly strode down the hallway followed quickly by Jaina. Apparently, Obi-Wan's surprisingly quick reflexes were combined with an unusual ability to disappear. Luke was not in a good mood. He'd just spent a whole hour talking Kyp into not pressing charges of assault. He'd lost count of how many times he explained to Kyp that they needed to present a unified front to the press and Senate.

He released a pent up breath as he knocked on Leia's door. Anakin answered it, and showed Luke and Jaina in to where Ani and Leia were sitting. Leia glanced at her brother and could tell something was upsetting him.

"Is there something wrong?"

Luke worded his answer carefully. He needed to find Obi-Wan and Anakin would most likely not help if he knew how irate Luke was.

"I need to find Ben. Do either of you know where he is?"

"I think he's with Mara." Anakin replied.

Luke bit back an exasperated sigh. "Not _that_ Ben, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Like Anakin said he's with Mara. Baby Ben is with the nanny droid." Leia replied. Anakin's lips were starting to twitch into a smirk.

"Do you know where he is with Mara?"

"Umm, no but I do think that Han would know."

"Where's Han then?"

"With Chewie."

Jaina frowned. They were getting toyed with. "Where are Dad and Chewie, Mom?"

"Oh, they went with your brother."

"I suppose they didn't mention where they were going."

"They told Anakin, but he swore not to tell."

Luke looked over at Anakin, time to play Jedi Master.

"Anakin, why don't you tell me where they are?"

"I'm sorry Master Luke, I cannot tell you that."

"Then you'll just have to lead me there."

"I can't do that either. I'm not old enough to enter the establishment."

Luke smiled. "Think of this as an order from the Head Master of the Jedi Order. Take me to them."

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Luke followed Anakin into what had to be the seediest bar in half the galaxy. It was poorly lit, and had loads of creepy customers. Walking along, Luke tripped over a piece of shaggy carpet. Looking closer, he realized it wasn't carpet but rather a Wookie leg, Chewie's leg to be specific.

"You know, I didn't know that a Jedi Master could drink that much. Maybe I should give you guys more respect. He drank Chewie right under the table." Han's rather musical voice buzzed in Luke's ear.

Luke gazed over at the inebriated Han. Qui-Gon sat on his left, Mara on his right. Jacen was over requesting a song from the band, and Obi-Wan was nowhere in sight.

"You drank Chewie under the table?" Luke asked Qui-Gon.

"Don't be ridiculous, Luke. Qui has never in his entire life been able to handle more than a bottle of booze." Obi-Wan's speech startled Luke. He hadn't even heard him approach.

Mara grinned. "Chewie had the bad sense to challenge Obi-Wan here to a drinking match. As a result, Han owes me 500 credits."

"I'm always happy to be of service."

"Isn't that a misuse of the Force?" Jaina challenged. 

"Force? Who's using the Force? I'm not sober; I'm just not flat out on my back."

"It's impossible for a human to out drink a Wookie."

"Not when you have Master Kenobi's metabolism." Jacen chipped in as he swaggered back to the table. "Apparently, he comes from a very select strain of humanoids that can consume large amounts of fermented substances."

Anakin chuckled, "Yeah, that's how he can eat his own cooking."

Luke got down to business. "Ben, I need to talk to you about Kyp."

"Join the club, Kid! Me and Mara and Chewie thought we should salute Jacen and good old Ben here for their heroic efforts against the biggest jerk that isn't on the enemy's side." Han's voice was boisterous and gained a round of applause from the rest of the original group and a few unnamed bar scum. 

"Celebrate! He attacked an innocent man with no cause!" Jaina cried.

"I had plenty of cause. Or did the entire conversation slick by your ears? Besides, the way he constantly ogles you, I wouldn't call him innocent."

"He is a Jedi Knight, you should treat him with the same respect that you would give any Jedi from the Old Order." Luke admonished.

"You want me to treat all the New Jedi like I would have treated the Old?"

"I believe that is appropriate."

"Fine. Master Luke, you have been too lenient with your first apprentice. He has some extreme flaws that do not befit a Knight. I believe he should be put on suspension from training any initiate or apprentice until it is proven that he has enough tact and diplomacy to properly train another."

"Kyp has very good diplomatic tact."

Han snickered. "You haven't talked to Wedge lately have you?"

Jacen shook his head. "Half the Senate thinks he's full of himself. Ask Mom. They whisper about how he disregards common rules of etiquette and even how he'll disregard law enforcement."

Mara shook her head. "Obi-Wan is right, or haven't you seen how Kyp has been slowly positioning himself against you?"

Jaina's eyes flared. "YOU! You poisoned my family against my boyfriend. You arrogant high and mighty supposed Jedi!" She moved to slap Obi-Wan, but her wrist was suddenly wrenched behind her back.

"Lay one hand on my Master, and Kyp will be visiting you in the hospital."

"Anakin, leave her be. I can fight my own battle this time." Obi-Wan was suddenly very serious as he approached the now released Jaina.

"You know the truth. You know what he is yet you refuse to acknowledge it. He treated you poorly the night I met you, but you ran back to him. Do not blame me for your inability to admit you were wrong in choosing him. Your grandmother refused to see a growing evil in her husband, will you do the same with Kyp for the sake of your worthless pride?"

Angered and embarrassed Jaina stormed out to go back to her ship that she'd flown them there in. Concerned, Luke turned to follow.

"Let her go, Uncle Luke. We'll take you home." Jacen spoke quietly.

Luke focused his attention back on Obi-Wan. "That was uncalled for."

"I think not. The Order is about peace, it is not always about avoiding confrontation. She has not made any mistake that I or Qui-Gon or even Yoda has not made. But, she still needs to know about it. Just as you need to have your treatment of Kyp pointed out to you. This is not an issue of forgiveness for Kyp's dalliance with the darkside."

"Oh, it isn't?" Luke's voice gained a sarcastic edge.

"Sith Luke. You're as stubborn as your father. Has it totally leaked out of your brain that I have experience in this matter? If I had not been so lenient with Anakin, if I had not let him get by with breaking so many rules, he might never have turned. Besides, if you do not think that I can forgive a person that has danced with the darkside, perhaps you should get your eyes examined. Last I checked, I was the one walking around with the former second in command of the Empire. A Sith Lord who happened to cut me in half."

Feeling anger beginning to boil in his veins, Luke closed his eyes and reached out to the Force so he could rebuff Obi-Wan and the rest calmly. What he found was that when he removed his emotions from the situation they were right, and he was wrong.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Don't feel bad Luke. We've made the same mistake. Only, you still have time to fix it. I didn't admit it until my apprentice took a swing at me with his lightsaber. Obi-Wan had to face the fact that his apprentice killed half the Jedi. You've got it pretty good comparatively."

Luke looked at Qui-Gon. "Did they train you in motivational speeches back in the Old Order?"

Obi-Wan snorted. "It's something that the more rebellious Knights do. Traditional speeches are like Yoda's Fear leads to Anger speech."

Han grinned. "Well now that you've pulled your head out of… Well, anyway. Why don't you grab a drink?"

"I don't think so."

"Come on Luke, you'll need one to get through Anakin flying us home. He flies like his grandfather."

Luke smiled and shook his head as Mara pushed a drink at him.

"You know," Qui-Gon said, "I must thank you for coming. I hate having to fly, and I was the designated driver. Now, I can drink seems how Anakin can't."

"Han was going to let you take the _Falcon?!?!"_

"Don't be ridiculous, Farmboy. We took your ship."

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The hangover Luke had the next morning was the worst he'd had since the party over the destruction of the first Deathstar. Belatedly, he realized that Obi-Wan had a tendency to use his own point of view quite a bit. He could readily testify that Qui-Gon Jinn could most definitely drink more than one bottle of booze, and that he sang very off key when drunk.

Vaguely he remembered Leia scolding them when they got home and Ani taking Baby Ben for the night. Luke groaned as his stomach protested. This was why he needed to remain a steady citizen. He couldn't fight off an Ewok at the moment let alone any major threat. Unsteadily he shuffled his way from the bathroom towards his living room, only to find it filled with people.

The holovid was on. 

It was showing a large protest of Coruscant. The camera man panned the crowds on the street and focused on a sign one held.

It said: "Death to Vader."

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Told you it was going to get a touch nasty.


	19. Fights and Kisses

First chap = disclaimers

Ugh, I really shouldn't be up this time of night writing. I'll answer the specific review in the nest post, but let me see if I can remember some questions. First: The Vader thing is a touch better described below (I hope). Second: Yes Kyp's already gone to the darkside once. I'm not changing that. All Obi-Wan was pointing out was that there were some tendencies in Kyp that could tilt him back and that Luke needed to address the issue before it went out of control (Again).

Thanks for all your wonderful reviews!!!

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Anakin stared glumly out the window as torrential rains beat down upon the greenery surrounding the academy. The week and a half after Luke's announcement had brought incredible turmoil. First, there was the incident with Kyp which, thankfully, Luke seemed to be handling well. At least, Kyp had been a touch more considerate once he got his ego clipped by the Head Master.

More troubling were the protests and political moves. One story seemed to be tugging at the seams of the New Republic. Only, it wasn't a story to Anakin; it was his life, and the press was tearing it apart. Some said to follow Obi-Wan fearlessly into Hutt space and destroy Callista. Others claimed he was merely a fake sent to mislead. Still others said that it didn't matter whether they were genuine or not. The galaxy shouldn't jump at a Jedi's call.

It didn't help that the Hutts were denying access to their space and more specifically to the sector that Callista occupied. They couldn't even verify their story. Now they were faced with commentaries that portrayed his "family" as the villains and Callista as the poor scapegoat.

The one theme that hurt the most was the tirades that went on about Ani. The Republic had been oh so politically correct about him when he was already dead. Now, they were out for blood. Day after day there appeared to me more people joining the protests against Ani. They wanted him tried for his crime. They said the blood of Alderaan screamed for vengeance.  They claimed justice. What they wanted was murder.

Luke had had to put the Academy on alert to ward against any attacks. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon sat up late assisting Leia with the political maneuvers the Jedi should take. Ani merely made himself scarce. He said that the only thing he'd ever succeeded at diplomatically was to secure Palpatine's dictatorship.

"You okay?" A soft voice asked behind him.

Anakin turned to see Tahiri staring pensively at him.

"Yeah, I'm okay. My Master just passed along his nasty habit of becoming gloomy to me."

"It will work out Anakin. I'm sure of it. The Force did not bring the four of you this far to see you fail."

"That's what Uncle Luke said this morning." Instead of a reply, Anakin got a short but gleaming smile from Tahiri.

"What?"

"That's the first time I've heard you call him Uncle Luke."

"Hanging around nature boy must be rubbing off on me."

"I don't think your brother would be fond of that nickname."

"I don't think Jacen would approve of most of the things I say."

"Anakin, have you ever thought about the future?"

"That's a bit redundant isn't it? We were just talking about it."

"Dunce, I meant after this is all over. What are you going to do?"

"Be a Jedi, I guess. Protect the innocent, help Master Luke rebuild the Jedi Order to the place it should be."

"What about your personal life?"

"Well, hopefully, I'll eventually get knighted. After a while I'll probably take an apprentice."

"What about women?"

"They are forbidden."

"That was a serious question."

"It was a serious answer. The code forbids attachment."

"It is an old code."

"It is still valid."

"The interpretation of it was old. It was too strict."

"You sound like Qui-Gon."

"I like Qui-Gon, and I like you. Do me a favor. If you ever decide that you'd like to explore your options as a member of the New Jedi, call me first."

Tahiri stood quickly on her tiptoes and kissed Anakin's cheek, then sped away before he could regain his senses enough to speak.

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Half way across the Academy, Obi-Wan was providing his own storm cloud. Glumly, he stared down at the saber practice going on below him. Many of the Knights were at the Academy to discuss what should be done. In response to the influx of Jedi, the saber training room was full with both participants and viewers, arrange by a penitent Kyp trying to get back in the good graces of Luke. Obi-wan snorted as he saw a knight blatantly falter in his footwork. If one could call it footwork, it looked more like a drunken swagger. Qui-Gon would have hid him away in mortification if he'd ever done that in practice. Yet the human below had actually been Knighted.

"Now that is not a particularly generous thought in your head Padawan." Instinct caused Obi-Wan's head to whip around at Qui-Gon's voice.

"I didn't think you could still read my mind. At least you can't without great effort."

"I always thought you were so thick skulled that I had to use great effort when we were bonded. However, I learned your facial expressions well, and as you are watching the fight below, I assume you were thinking a nasty thought about the sparring Jedi?"

"Their footwork is atrocious. I don't think I've seen a good example since Mara finished and hour ago. And I thought Ani was bad at it."

Qui-Gon glanced indifferently down at the match and held back a wince as he saw one knight leave her side completely un-guarded.

"SEE, you're just as bad as I am."

"They cannot practice what they have not been taught."

"Well, I didn't exactly have time to teach Luke the finer points of gracefulness, and neither did Yoda. We were more concerned about keeping him alive."

"It was not a criticism, merely an observation. It does bring up an interesting point though."

"What point would that be?"

"All they really know us as are good diplomats. Well… they also know you as the crusty old man that drug Luke into his destiny…"

"I get the picture. You don't need to remind me that you were dueling your twenty-four year old apprentice when you were sixty and I was hobbling around when I was fifty-three. What is in that conniving brain of yours?"

"Obi-Wan, why don't we give them an example of how it should be done?"

A grin split Obi-Wan's face as he quickly followed Qui-Gon down to the fighting floor. Kyp glanced up as they entered near the back. _Doddering old style Jedi.__ They're probably amazed at all the swirling colors from our superior fighting. Bet they never saw such quick fighting before. After all, Luke beat Vader, and he killed off all the Jedi._

Kyp leaned over and kissed Jaina on the cheek before swaggering over to Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. "Why don't you two give us an example of your saber skills?"

"Oh, we wouldn't want to intrude." Qui-Gon said though the sparkle in his voice gave way the amusement that did not show on his calm face.

Kyp grinned. This was the perfect opportunity to embarrass them. "Don't be silly. Why don't you fight next? You can go warm up over there while those two finish."

A slight nod from both men was all he got in return.

Obi-Wan leaned over to Qui-Gong as they removed their outer robes. "The little snake thinks we're incompetent."

"We'll just have to prove him wrong then."

Luke looked up and saw that Kyp had placed Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon as the next to fight. Mara grinned. "Fifty credits on the short guy." Luke glared at her choice of describing Ben. Still, he remembered how slow Obi-Wan was when he fought Vader. Luke was nearing that age himself, and was nowhere near as sluggish. "Deal."

A short nod from Kyp indicated that they could begin. They faced each other and bowed. Then they ignited their lightsabers. Qui-Gon fought back a smile as he saw Obi-Wan habitually wait for him to make the first move. Obi-Wan always was the one for order in his life. Perhaps that was why he attracted so much that disrupted his routine.

Kyp was bored waiting for the fight to begin as they circled each other. Then Qui-Gon lunged quickly at Obi-Wan. The blow was easily blocked and the fight was on. Two minutes later, Kyp was very glad he hadn't challenged Kenobi to that duel he'd been plotting.

Obi-Wan, on the other hand, was trying to figure out what the heck Qui-Gon was doing. He'd sparred with Jinn for years, and he'd never had him make so many pointless strikes. Instead of taking advantageous strokes, he'd simply been scratching at his shoulder or grazing inconsequential parts of his tunic. Then, he seemed intent on making Obi-Wan run, twist, leap slide, and any other maneuver that Obi-Wan had developed over the years.

A quick slash brought him face to face with Jinn. Their sabers sizzled between them. "I thought we wanted to give them an example, not make them feel totally outclassed. What are you doing?" He hissed in Qui-Gon's ear.

A smile twinkled in Qui-Gon's blue eyes. Using his superior upper body strength, he pushed Obi-Wan off. "This." A quick stroke sizzled against Kenobi's tunic. Reflexively, he moved to block the blow only to feel his shirt fall off in the middle of the arena. His cuffs dangled at his wrists separated from the rest of his covering. "YOU…"

He didn't get to finish as Qui-Gon attacked again.

Five minutes later, it was all over. The great Qui-Gon Jinn was flat on his back staring at the blade of a humming blue lightsaber. Having been declared the victor, Obi-Wan pulled Qui-Gon off the floor. "I was going to let you win you know."

"I know, but I thought it better to prove you weren't an old tottering fool."

"By slicing my shirt off?"

"Well, I can't say that Luke noticed that, but I would say your muscles have earned you the appreciation of the female population."

Obi-Wan's eyes darted at the crowd to see a lot of pointing. "They could be talking about the fight."

"Oh, they probably are, but you can be certain that Miss Solo is seriously reconsidering her position on Kyp."

"QUI-GON!"


	20. Great Debates

First chap = Disclaimers

YAY a new chap! Special thanks to all my readers: Cammy, jjf, FireSenshi, Phoenix Wolf, Jedi_Sylvar, cmichaels, Lanna, martin, SilverSeer, Lynx & vader, Lady Z, Anne, Pengy 737, Shorty Sc22, HeidiM, Mordant, Master Solo, and anyone I missed.

Lets see, for requests, I have added more Ani in this chapter but his big part is going to be in the next chapter, so you'll have to wait. Binks shows up again. (No, I'm not done with my plot device yet, he has an important part later on.) Umm, I haven't really been able to plot out the first conversation between Obi and Jacen yet, but I might get inspired later on.

So everyone knows, I'm not exactly always non-Kyp. I just needed a nasty guy that wasn't evil but wasn't a great hero type. So, I picked Kyp because he was the easiest to attack and maintain. 

One more thing. Most of this chapter, as I overlook it, is totally pointless. But, hey, Sometimes you need to write fluff.

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Anakin swung his lightsaber back and forth and centered himself. He was blindfolded, which was nothing new, but this time, he had to jump from log to log so he wouldn't fall into the swamp.

"Easy Anakin. Let the Force guide you, do not be hasty." Obi-Wan's voice was calm as always.

Anakin took a breath and jumped. He landed on the next stump and stayed crouched as it wobbled a bit beneath his feet. When he was stable, he straightened back up. He heard something whip past his ear. As the Force hadn't warned him, he assumed it was meant as a non-threatening distraction from his master. He was about to take the next leap when another being decided to share the unstable log with him. It left quickly, causing the log to wobbled and send Anakin into the swamp.

As Anakin pulled his head above the slimy water, he could hear the sound of his Master's guffaws. Frustrated, he pulled the blindfold off to reveal not only his Master, but a sheepish looking Qui-Gon and Han trying to look very serious and sorry and not succeeding.

Growling, Anakin began to swim to the shore where the three elder men stood. Halfway there, he felt something heavy land on his shoulder causing him to bob under for a second. As he spit to swamp water out of his mouth, he could see a very muddy Binks wagging his tail at Qui-Gon who was holding a ball.

Anakin pulled himself up and out of the water and summoned his best glare.

"Your father bought Binks a new toy." Obi-Wan managed to stop giggling for a second to inform Anakin as to the reason of the demise of his exercise.

"I am sorry, Anakin. I did not know that you were out here." Qui-Gon apologized.

Anakin sighed. "May I go get cleaned up Master?"

"Of course." Obi-Wan managed to keep down his chuckling to a couple of snorts.

Anakin strode away and pretended not to hear the gales of laughter that followed. It was good to hear Obi-Wan laugh. With all the pressure they'd been under, he couldn't remember the last time he'd actually found something that funny. In truth, he wasn't sure he'd ever seen Obi-Wan not serious. Qui-Gon used to tell him stories when he was younger about Obi-Wan's errant humor, but Anakin had never seen the lightheartedness that Qui-Gon remembered. He never expected to either. 

Obi-Wan never took any mistake he made lightly. If he erred, he did his best to make it never happen again. It was almost funny. Obi-Wan could forgive almost anyone their faults, but he never forgave himself. 

With a sigh of relief, Anakin came in view of the Academy building and headed toward it.

"You know, most people take baths in clean water."

Anakin twirled around to see his grandfather leaning against a beat up ship.

 "Unless, of course, this is some new training method of Obi-Wan's…"

Anakin smiled. "What are you doing? Taking that thing apart for old rusty parts that nobody wants?"

"HEY!" Jaina's voice came out from under the ship. "This happens to be last year's birthday present."

"Ugh, you want that? I lived a decade of my life on a rickety ship. They aren't that grand."

"They are when they're fixed up."

"Well, when you have to choose between eating and getting a new fuel injector, you kind of lose your appreciation for the classics."

"I didn't." Ani interrupted.

"That is because you are strange and your granddaughter apparently takes after you, Ani." Obi-Wan had gotten over his giggling fit and was calmly wandering his way along and decide to join their conversation.

"HEY! What is this, Pick on Jaina Day?"

"Not at all, your Grandfather is an excellent mechanic you should be proud that I considered your talent worthy of him."

"You called him strange."

"He is."

"And you inferred that I was as strange as he is."

"I did."

"How is that not an insult?"

"It depends on how you think he's strange."

Jaina frowned at Obi-Wan. "Was 'Leaps of Confusing Logic' a required course at the Old Temple?"

"No, but the only way to deal with a politician is to say something non-coherent that sounds philosophically deep. You wouldn't believe how many disputes I've settled with random thoughts and backhanded compliments."

"You're right, I don't believe you."

Ani chuckled. "Don't challenge Obi, he can stand there for hours talking about various successful missions."

"With that smug, irritating personality? I don't believe it."

Anakin bristled. He may have made up with his sister, but he didn't like how she talked to Obi-Wan.

Obi, on the other hand, was quite enjoying aggravating her. "I'm irritating? In my much longer experience, I have found space pilots to be the most egotistical."

"You're saying I'm egotistical?"

"Now, that depends on whether you consider yourself a pilot."

"Can't you ever just say 'yes' to a question?"

"Yes."

Anakin looked at his namesake who just shrugged his shoulders. This had to be one of the stupidest conversations they'd ever heard. Pointing his thumb towards the building, Anakin started to move away followed quickly by Ani. It was time to let Jaina and Obi fight in peace.

Jaina watched them leave. "See, you chased them off."

"I did no such thing."

"Then why are they leaving?"

"Maybe you chased them off?"

"I did not."

"That depends on your point of view."

"And your point of view is always right?"

"No, but it is if you can't prove otherwise."

"What is it with you? Do you have to be so infuriating?"

"I'm not infuriating to other people, just to you. Well, and Kyp, but that's for a different reason."

"How do you know you don't infuriate me because of what you did to Kyp?"

"Because."

"Because what?"

"Just because."

"What, do you think I secretly enjoyed what you did to him?"

"You didn't immediately attack back now did you?"

"How do you know I didn't just plot out my retaliation?"

"Because that is what I would do, and you aren't like me."

"Meaning I'm not the famous Clone War General?"

"Meaning, you are much too strong in the Living Force. Your reactions are immediate to your surroundings. I am almost totally reliant on the Unifying Force. I have to be in contact with the past and the future. Plotting is painful for you, focusing here and now is difficult for me."

Jaina forgot her earlier ire. "I've never thought of the Force as having separate parts except for light and dark."

Obi-Wan grinned. "Well, I hate to break up a good banter, but far be it from me to miss an opportunity to lecture."

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Qui-Gon sighed listening to yet another debate among the gathered Jedi. Somehow, he figured that it was going to end badly. Across from his chair, Mara gave him an encouraging smile as he answered the same questions over and over again.

"Master Jinn, do you truly think that Master Kenobi is competent enough to correctly identify the situation? I mean, it is his word the Senate will be trusting. Anakin Skywalker is not trusted, the boy was too young, and no-one knows you. He made a great many mistakes in his life before."

Mara took in a breath. Never had she seen that particular spark in Qui-Gon's eyes. She felt him release a potent burst of anger into the Force. What he was angry about surprised her, for he wasn't angry about the challenge of _his veracity._

"Are you suggesting Knight Whoever-You-are that Obi-Wan Kenobi was incompetent?"

"He made mistakes in very crucial areas. If not for Master Yoda, his plans would have been in vain."

"You simple minded moron. How did you ever pass your trials? Obi-Wan Kenobi knew that Master Yoda was alive. He also knew that he could persuade him to train Luke. Do you think him so weak as to not foresee his own death? Did he not choose that path to secure the escape of Master Skywalker?" 

"If he was so gifted in foresight, why did he not foresee Anakin Skywalker's turning?"

"Who told you he didn't?"

A hush covered the room.

"He chose to unleash that havoc?" Another Knight asked.  
"That havoc was already unleashed before Anakin Skywalker. What Obi-Wan did was train him in the light. What do you think would have happened if the Emperor trained the boy solely in the darkside?"

"It was still not his choice."

"You are correct. It was not his choice. It was mine. If you wish to blame Darth Vader on someone, blame me. I should never have inflicted so bright and dangerous a pupil on a man who was barely knighted. If you'll excuse me, I think I have had enough of your unproductive discussion."

Qui-Gon walked swiftly from the buzzing room. Mara followed. It took her fifteen minutes to find him in a small garden, near a fountain.

"You know, the Temple had a beautiful room. They called it the room of a thousand fountains. It was gorgeous. The Temple was gorgeous. Obi-Wan, when he was young, had a beautiful soul. I killed it over time. He was always so desperate to please. Always too desperate for my love, he wanted to protect me. He would have cut out his tongue if I asked it of him. He would have gone blind if he thought it would make me follow the council and keep me safe."

Mara looked at him. "I didn't know you were that close."

"We were." 

"I thought you said Jedi didn't love?"

"Love? Sith, I was practically his Father."

"Oh."

"Oh, you meant _love. Umm, no. That would have been Tahl."_

Mara nodded, pretending to understand. "So, you made him apprentice Anakin? He made Luke think it was his idea."

"He would. Like I said, he always protected me. I used it. He warned me about Anakin. He told me the boy was dangerous, but I didn't listen. So, what did I do? I used my dieing breath to command a hysterical apprentice to train the Chosen One. How could I do that to my own Padawan?"

Mara was very glad she had been both a smuggler and a Jedi. It helped he keep her face placid. True confessions were bad enough, but this was a confusing confession. What the Sith was a Chosen One? Why was Obi-Wan at Qui-Gon's death bed? And Why did Qui-Gon call Obi-Wan his padawan?

"I thought Yoda trained Obi-Wan."

Pain crossed his feature before he responded. "Yoda trained many of the initiates. He had selected Obi-Wan to be in one of his groups. He was always a favorite of Yoda's. BUT, initiates are to be taken as an apprentice by their thirteenth birthday. I was Obi-Wan's Master, and I can't count the number of times I almost killed him with my stubbornness. Fortunately, Obi-Wan was the one Jedi more stubborn than I. By the time he was ready to take his trials, we were very close. I think it broke something inside of him when we parted. It is still broken, and I can't fix it."

Mara nodded. "I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't. Obi-Wan doesn't exactly give out information unless it is absolutely necessary. Besides, I shouldn't be burdening you with my own angst."

Mara watched a tortured man return to the placid one she had known for the last few weeks. He smiled at her.

"Well, back to the interrogation room. I'm certain they have some wonderfully scathing remarks to give me."

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A vote was taken later that day. Eighty percent of Jedi Masters and Knights agreed to support the cloned Jedi. The Order would officially support the pursuit of Callista Ming.

Jaina wandered down the corridors after the vote. A smile caught her lips as she rounded a corner. Jacen was leaning very close to Tenel Ka. Jaina was about to leave when she heard her brother remark: "You're right. You really can't see that scar anymore."

Jaina wanted to scream. Her brother seemed to have adopted Luke's method of courting red heads. 'Take everything really, really slowly.' She continued towards them as there was nothing to interrupt.

"Hello Jaina." Tenel Ka greeted her.

"Hi."

Jacen looked at his twin. "Where were you this afternoon? You were supposed to practice with me and than we were going to meet Tenel when she arrived."

"I'm sorry. I forgot."

"You forgot? Jaina, you don't forget anything."

"Well, I was preoccupied."

"With what?" Tenel Ka asked sincerely interested.

"I, was, umm in a debate about Knighting practices."

Jacen grinned. "So, did you beat Kyp's theories into the ground?"

"I, well, let's just say that from a certain point of view…"

"Yes?" Jacen asked excited.

"I totally and completely lost."

"What?"

"Jacen, for your own sake, never debate Obi-Wan Kenobi on Jedi philosophy. His theory is that the reason it takes a shorter time for the Jedi to become knighted now is that they focus on their areas of expertise. If focused on enough, they can master all the skills, but still don't have an established, balanced base."

Tenel Ka frowned. "But Master Luke focuses on balancing and teaching all aspects of Jedi life."

"Kenobi thinks that it isn't about skill, but rather a knowing of the balance of the Force. For every strong member of the Unifying Force they have to be tethered to a strong Living Force in the current system. Apparently, he sees this as both an advantage and a weakness. They are stronger when in harmony, but weaker when one is missing. If a Jedi is not trained to use their weaker Force strength, they will be at a disadvantage in desperate situations."

Jacen shook his head. "You debated that? That has to be one of the most confusing theories I've ever heard. Isn't the Force just the Force? Light or Dark?"

"That I can definitely answer 'no' to. He spent half an hour pointing out the differences between the Living and the Unifying. I got the impression we never made it through the basics."

"What gave you that impression?" Tenel asked.

"When I sat staring at a muja fruit and he told me to feel its life and then feel its past. Apparently, I was supposed to get some great epiphany out of connecting with a piece of fruit. He gave up on me when I told him I only knew that its future was being eaten."

Jacen groaned. "Well, I guess we know what he thought about as a crabby old hermit. Why did you spend your time like that Jaina? Couldn't you have debated something more meaningful than fruit? I mean he is one of the elite Jedi Masters."

"We debated that because that was what he wanted to debate, and if he wanted to talk about fruit, Jacen Solo, I don't think you have room to criticize. You can't even master asking out a girl." Jaina walked off.

Jacen looked at Tenel Ka. "What was that all about?"

Tenek shook her head. "Your aunt is correct, Jacen. Men are truly clueless."


	21. Of ObiWans and Chosen Ones

First chap = disclaimers

Thanks to all my very great reviewers Cammy, PhoenixWolf, JJF, Jedi_Sylvar, and everyone else who reviewed but I can't remember their names right now.

Let's see. Yoda will be returning, but he's not showing up until I send someone into Hutt Space to rescue him. Callista isn't that dumb.

I swore I wouldn't do it to you, BUT you're getting a brand new time jump this chap, just for the purpose of advancing the story.

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Luke watched from a hilltop as four supposedly grown men engaged in randomly throwing mud all over each other. Obi-Wan had surprisingly good aim. Then again, Obi-Wan had surprised Luke a lot lately. He was beginning to wonder how he ever thought of Obi-Wan as calm and laid back. The more he watched "Old Ben" the more he realized the man bordered on hyperness, especially when debating the Force. This "fight" was just another example of how little he truly knew about Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"If that surprises you, you should see Obi when he gets hungry." Ani stood quietly off to Luke's side. Leia trailed behind and shook her head.

"I just bought Han that suit!"

Luke smiled. He found the sudden friendship Han had struck up with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan unfathomable. The closeness Han had developed with Anakin he could understand, but what Han had in common with the other two in the fight, specifically with Obi-Wan, he didn't know.

"He never mentioned Qui-Gon to me."

"Why should he have? It would only have confused you more. Remember Luke, you barely knew what the Force was. Obi's life history was not exactly necessary to your training."

Luke frowned. "I wanted to get to know Obi-Wan better, but he seems more interested in torturing Han or having debates on Sith knows what with Jinn."

"Sulking doesn't befit you, Luke. Rule number one with Obi is never try."

"I know. 'Do or do not there is no try'."

"That's Yoda. Obi will befriend practically anyone who isn't a politician as long as you don't try to impress him."

"Doesn't say much for my chances now does it?" Leia mused.

Ani grinned. "He's made a few exceptions. But, truly, Qui-Gon ruined him. He picked up one too many of Jinn's bad habits. One of which is hanging out with former smugglers and shady citizens."

Luke sighed. "I don't understand him."

"No? Tell me then, why did you marry a former smuggler?"

"Because I loved her."

"But, she wasn't exactly the type of person the head of the Jedi order dated now was she?"

"But, she changed! Her bad qualities were completely redeemable."

"I think you just answered your own question. Obi-Wan wants to redeem as many people as possible. Am I right?" Leia questioned.

Ani smiled. "I can see why you got so far in life. It took me years to figure out Obi-Wan's attitudes. He was hard on me because he didn't think I needed redemption. He thought I was already there and ready to help others. He lost much for his mistake. As did I."

"How did he get by with such questionable relationships as a pillar of the Jedi community?" Luke queried.

"He didn't. The council and Obi-wan weren't the best of friends. BUT, they couldn't dispute his astuteness as an active Knight. Besides, the Jedi who mingled with all levels of society usually had better success than those who didn't."

Luke smirked. "So, should I go rob a fueling station?"

Ani sighed. "Just my luck. You HAD to inherit my sense of humor didn't you?"

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Luke swallowed hard as he paced outside of Obi-Wan's quarters. He had to know, and Ben was the only person he felt comfortable asking. Resolutely, he knocked. A loud crash and a couple of curses later, Obi-Wan opened his door. His hair slicked against the top of his head.

"I'm sorry, Ben, I thought you had finished cleaning up."

"Luke, I may have been a hermit on a desert planet, but I grew up on Coruscant. I take very long showers. It blocks out the world."

"I'd better go."

"No, don't. I'm just being cranky, come on in."

Luke followed him into the small room Obi-Wan had claimed as his own. Gently, he sat down on the rickety chair that faced the bed Obi-Wan flopped down onto.

"Where did you get this chair?"

"Oh, I dug it out of trash. One of your students was ditching it."

"It's almost coming apart."

"I know. I helps your natural balance."

Luke fidgeted with the hem of his tunic.

"Sith, I know _that look. Please tell me you're not going to ask about sex. Hopefully, Mara explained that to you when you got married. I've already told two Anakins about it."_

Luke blushed red. "Actually, I need to know about, that is I want to ask about, see there's this…"

Obi-Wan groaned. "Don't tell me you managed to have a child and don't know what happened. Why do you people always have to ask the virgin in the group?"

"You're a virgin?" Luke squeaked his brain trying to wrap around the strange turn in the conversation. 

"Yes, hard as it is to believe one of us actually kept his vows. Luke, if you keep stuttering, I'll just embarrass you more until you say something."

Obi-Wan waited while Luke fidgeted. "So, do you want to know about the time when I caught your father 'talking' to Padme?"

"Ineedtoknowaboutthechosenone." Luke blurted out before Obi could continue his story.

"What?"

"I read about a prophecy of the Chosen One. I need to know about it. What implications does it have for the order?"

"Well, Luke. I can safely say that you don't have to worry about training the Chosen One."

"I don't have to worry?"

"I already botched the job for you. Luke, you don't have a grandfather."

Luke stared at Obi-Wan. "My father…"

"…was conceived by a bunch of microscopic organisms. Technically, you're only one quarter human."

"Oh crap."

Obi-Wan laughed. "Don't take it so hard. I mean it's a little hard fathoming that your partially related to everything around you, but Anakin adapted to the idea. Ani, well that's another story."

"Thanks, I think."

"Don't mention it."

Luke stumbled from the room and went to meditate. Being the head of the Jedi Order just seemed a whole lot stranger now.

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(2 years later)

A very haggard Obi-Wan Kenobi stumbled his way into the cafeteria. He looked terrible Luke mused. It was the middle of the day. Obi shouldn't have been drunk or have a hangover. Luke sighed as he marched over to his friend. He'd just gotten back an hour ago from yet another pointless debate in the Senate and now he was faced with a Jedi Master who looked worse than a corpse.

"Ben?"

"Luke." At least Luke thought that was what he'd said. It sounded more like a grunt.

"Maybe you should go get a checkup."

"I don't need a checkup. I know what is wrong." Absently, Obi-Wan chugged a cup of scalding tea down his throat. He laughed a hollow laugh. "You should see the other guy."

Luke felt lead settle in his stomach. "You didn't have another fight with Kyp did you?" The last time Obi and Kyp had fought was when Jaina dumped Kyp six months ago. Kyp had believed that Kenobi had talked her into it.

"No, I didn't. But, this," he gestured to himself, "this is for the best. At least, that's what I'm telling myself."

Luke's brow furrowed in concern. "What's best?"

Before Obi-Wan responded, Qui-Gon came up beside the two men. He looked at Luke. "While you were gone, we came to a few decisions."

"What were those?"

"Firstly, the debate in the Senate has gone on too long. Callista has built forces. She is too major of a threat to allow to continue without immediate action. Observation is not enough."

"I know that, but we can't do anything about it."

"Yes, we can, and we have. Firstly, we needed another free operating agent. Obi-Wan broke his bond with Anakin this morning. Mara and I approved his Knighting."

"Which explains my current headache." Obi-Wan bemoaned as he refilled his teacup.

Luke smiled. "That's good news."

"It is. BUT…"

"But what?"

"But," Obi-Wan interjected, "The Republic's main debate is whether or not I am a credible source as there is no proof to offer otherwise. They all say that if I was the 'real' General Kenobi they would believe me in an instant."

"Yes, but we can't prove that." 

"Your father found a way."

"How?"

"He's turning himself in to the authorities. If he can be tried for the crimes of Darth Vader, that means he is Darth Vader. If the law is upheld, that means I am Obi-Wan Kenobi and they cannot dispute my word."

Luke turned ashen. "You let him do that?"

"It was his idea Luke. He just wanted to do it before you could persuade him otherwise. Don't worry, Leia got him a good lawyer."

Luke swallowed hard at the implications this would bring. Suddenly, he understood Obi-Wan's pallor. They were gaining a victory, but very possibly losing someone very close.


	22. Flight Kiss and Prison

First chap = disclaimers

Thanks to all my very patient reviewers. I have been swamped with midterms and graduation plans this week, so all of my stories are behind as far as updating goes. Thank you again for your patience.

As you can see, the requested Anakin/Tahiri scene is in this chapter. I decided to do his reaction and everything in a sort of flashback scene instead of having a short scene and then a medium sized one. I hope you like it.

Also, any and all may engage in character bashing if so desired, just return them in reusable condition. I believe Cammy has the rights to Kyp at the moment, but if you ask nicely, I'm sure she'll let you take a few whacks.

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Anakin ran his hand over the place where his braid used to be.  He had had it so many years that it felt almost empty. He frowned. It felt just like his head felt now that his bond with Obi-Wan had been broken. It was difficult to adjust to the fainter bond that was necessarily imposed. Eventually, he would again share a strong bond with is mentor, but for now, he was forced to live with barely a hint of his presence so that he would become an independent Jedi.

When Obi-wan had told him he was going to take the trials. He had protested. Anakin was not one to feel fear, but it had truthfully scared him senseless. It had been bad enough when he was forced to go away, but being a permanent individual had petrified him. Of course, Obi-Wan had sensed that.

In his wise teacher tone he'd said, "It is necessary, Anakin."

"I understand that, and I understand that I am ready. But, I don't know why it has to be now. Ani going away doesn't mean I have to take the trials."

"No, Ani going away does not mean that you have to take the trials. But, it is good timing. I have to cut you free soon anyway."

"Because I'm ready, and I should not hang on."

"Because I cannot compete, space is growing thin in your mind Anakin. It is my place to withdraw."

Anakin had not comprehended at the time, and after the knighting ceremony, he'd been in too much pain to sort it out. Now, he had deciphered Obi-Wan's comment. He had been doing his morning meditation when he felt it. A bright speck glistened in the background of his mind. It was a foreign speck, but not unwelcome. A gentle probe had revealed that it was not as foreign as supposed. He could recognize Tahiri's signature almost as easily as he could recognize a family member's. Obi-Wan had felt it there and withdrawn. Now, Anakin had to face his newly discovered bond.

He knew it would eventually happen. He had known it since the moment that he had first laid eyes on her golden head that he was bound to fall in love with her. It was ironic that he had used Tahiri's age as his major deterrent. Now was the exact year that she turned eighteen. She was no longer a child; she was a legal adult.

In truth, Anakin had contemplated their relationship many times. He had debated the right and wrong aspects of it many times. Mostly within himself, but sometimes he would discuss them with Qui-Gon or Han or Chewie or Ani. Never had he had the courage to broach the subject with Obi-Wan. 

After the shock of their first and only kiss, he'd felt incredibly warm inside. Then he'd been endowed with one of his greatest struggles. He had been forced to examine his own beliefs in the Jedi culture. What did he really believe? Often, he had watched the New Order with interest. He had been trained one way, but the new way had some additional appealing facets even if they lacked in some areas. The most appealing facet was that he was allowed a family. He could not deny that he craved one. Always he had built one around himself and eventually he knew that would lead to wanting his own children.

Anakin shook his head. He had thought that he had hidden it all so well, debating the inner workings of the order, debating the rightness of his growing love. Somehow, Obi-Wan had known. He really shouldn't be surprised. After all, Obi-Wan had already had one apprentice sneak a lover behind his back, and truthfully, Ani and Padme had done much more planning in implementing their concealment. 

Anakin turned to face a door he had visited many times. Gently, he knocked. Obi-Wan opened the door almost immediately. A severed bond did not mean they couldn't talk. They just couldn't use the Force to communicate.

"You are here to discuss Tahiri I take it."

Anakin nodded and stepped inside. "I don't know what to do."

"That is a lie. You know full well what you are going to do. You just won't admit it."

"Maybe I do know what I _want to do, but I'm not sure what I should do."_

"Anakin, though my body is young, I am in reality a very old man. I am again thrust with a responsibility of utmost importance. And I have a very good chance of being killed, so does Qui-Gon. If the Republic doesn't kill Ani, this situation could do him in also. You will have nothing left. You unfortunately are in an Order that no longer exists. But, you do have the benefit of being born into a living Order. Take your opportunity. I have little left but my duty. Even if everything goes well, I will never be truly accepted. You do not have that burden. You are not trapped in your past; you are stuck in your future. Embrace it. Embrace her. Your bond will teach you many things I will never know. I envy you your opportunity to change."

"Thank you, Master."

Anakin left the room. It hurt him to hear his Master's outlook, but it also freed him. He knew now what he was going to do. But, first, he had to locate Tahiri. 

After a few rounds of inquiries, he found out that Tahiri was flying back from a short visit to one of the neighboring worlds. Anakin bounded over to the landing area to await her arrival. As he waited, his eyes landed on a small ship. It was a small fighter that had been given to the academy. What was a stray thought one moment was a reality the next as he deftly started the ship and launched out into space.

Anakin sped quickly through space. He nimbly flipped his ship upside-down, turned around and floated belly to belly with the craft that carried Tahiri. Anakin felt a Force probe moments before his own sister's voice came over the comm. 

"I was going to ask who you were and what your business was, but seems how I know who your are, what are you up to Anakin?" 

"I came out to fly Tahiri's ship in."

"Well, I don't think that we need your help."

"Well, if you don't need my help, then I guess you won't back down from  racing me down to the planet surface."

"Anakin, that's childish."

"What are you afraid you'll lose? I'll be fair. I'll fly upside-down until we reach the academy."

"You are more insane than Kenobi is."

"That is part of my charm." 

Anakin quickly engaged his throttle. Jaina followed suit a split second later. The high speed chase that followed was met with a chorus of giggles from Tahiri. As they entered the atmosphere, Jaina managed an edge on Anakin and scored a prefect landing.

Anakin shot right by the landing pad, still upside-down. He looped upward and around then dove straight towards the landing pad. At the last possible moment, he flipped his ship over and turned on the reverse thrusters. Gently, he placed the craft back into its original slot.

As Anakin pulled himself out of the cockpit, Jaina started reprimanding him.

"That was totally uncalled for. You could have gotten yourself killed. If you were in my squadron, do you know how bad you would be chewed out for a stunt like that?"

Anakin grinned at his sister and walked right past her to where Tahiri was standing. She smiled as he approached, but she did not have the opportunity to say anything. Anakin quickly pulled her against his body and kissed her soundly.

"Welcome back." He murmured. 

""Wow." Was all she could say in return.

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Ani sighed as he was led out into the visiting room of his maximum security prison. It had taken him a while to get used to being so confined. Even when he was Watto's slave, he had still been able to roam around. Other than that, it really hadn't been all that bad. He did not have to worry about feeling lonely. It seemed everyone wanted to talk to the famous Darth Vader. Plus, his incarceration had spawned more protests. These, however, were in his favor. Many were saying that it was hypocritical of the Republic to try a man they had publicly acknowledged as the hero who killed Palpatine.  They had even allowed Leia to put up a commemorative statue. What made them think they could take it all back? The outpouring of public support heartened him. 

The prison food was not very good. It truly did not bother him though. Ani laughed internally. He never thought Obi-Wan's cooking would ever do anything but cause indigestion.

He gave a nod of thanks to the guard as he was shown into the room. Luke was sitting at the discussion table apparently calm. Ani knew better than to believe the façade. Luke was far from the serene Jedi Master he seemed at the moment.

"Luke."

"Father."

"I know what you are going to say, and it was my decision. If Obi-Wan could not argue me out of it, then you sure couldn't have."

"I think I could debate that. It seems to me that I've talked you into one thing that Obi-Wan never could."

"That was because of a father's love, so is this. It is what is best all around. I would not be a very good Jedi if I allowed my personal comfort to come before the rest of the Order and the Galaxy for that matter."

"I wish you would have consulted me first."

"Consulting you would only have delayed the inevitable. You may have been able to dissuade me. We may have even been able to sway the Republic without me doing this. But, I would never have been at rest. Always there would be someone hounding me. This will finally give closure to my past. It gives me the opportunity to make amends that even killing Palpatine did not accomplish."

Luke nodded. He knew the argument, and whether he agreed with it or not, there was no way that he could change what already was.

"What are you going to do? There is no way that you can deny Alderaan."

"Well, I have plenty of time to avoid that particular instance. My lawyer is going to argue that I am technically a citizen of the Empire. Once that goes through, the Empire will have to agree to my prosecution. Of course, they will. They are not stupid enough to start another war. BUT, if I am a citizen of the Empire, that changes my trial specifications. Many of my crimes cannot be put through because they were acts of war. The more heinous ones will have to be tried under war crimes instead of regular laws. Then, the war crimes I am guilty of will be contrasted with the good I did the Galaxy by killing the Emperor."

"Won't the Empire be able to charge you with the murder of its head?"

"Well, they could, but they won't. The people in power in the Empire are there mainly because I killed Palpatine and spared their lives. They aren't exactly about to open up that can of worms. The instant they press charges against me, they are going to have the press digging into their backyards. Their reputations are dangling as it is. Besides, the Empire is fully behind our attack on Callista. They aren't exactly fond of being assinated."

The guard came back to inform them that their time was almost up. Luke rose up from his chair.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"No, but I will be fine for now. May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you."


	23. Talk, Talk

First chap = disclaimers

Reviewers= realllllllly coooool people

Does it seem like a loooooooooooooooong time since I updated? Well, I had midterms and papers and all sorts of icky stuff to do, but now I've got Spring Break, so I should be bale to update all my stories.

Well, I'm not sure if Kamino still exists while Luke is around or if they about it, but let's just say it does and they don't.

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Obi-Wan Kenobi stared at the computer screen in front of him. Page after page of contacts were upon it. Thousands of senators who wanted information, hundreds of reporters who wanted interviews: and all of it was because Ani had gone to jail. It made no sense, one man's arrest shouldn't persuade people in such a manner, but it had. He had lost count of how many conferences he had done in the past few days, but he was certain that he must have spoken to at least half of the senate by now.

Obi-Wan sighed as he went away from his computer terminal and shuffled down to the cafeteria for whatever sludge was left. It was late at night, so he did not expect to run into anyone. He should have known better. Sitting in the empty cafeteria was a lone figure. The Force presence told him that the figure was related to Anakin, the higher pitched whimper told him it was a woman. Using his lesser logic abilities he eliminated Leia as he had just talked to her and she on Coruscant three hours ago. That meant it was Jaina.

Grabbing a mug of whatever Sith spawned drink was left in the container, he slunk over to her table and sat down. Miserable brown eyes met his own.

"I miss him." Jaina stated. "I mean, he isn't really my grandfather in an emotional sense, but he would always talk to me about my ship and the Force and stuff. He was kind of my friend, and then he just up and leaves without telling anyone but his chosen friends."

"We weren't exactly chosen…"

"Don't give me that! He told you guys because he trusted you; he told you because he loved you more."

Obi-Wan's eyebrow quirked up. "You don't believe that do you? The only reason Ani told us is because we were the ones that needed to be immediately informed."

"You were the ones who helped him decide. Don't tell me he didn't trust you more."

"I think it was more a matter of trusting himself than the family. It was painful enough for him to ask your mother to arrange legal counsel. How hard do you think it would have been if he had to face his entire family?"

"Anakin was involved."

"Anakin was involved because Anakin's future was affected. And before you say anything, I know that all of our futures were affected, but Anakin needed to pass his trials. By Old code there needed to be at least two masters and a knight to approve the title. Ani was one of the few that knew the rules and could apply them. Besides, Anakin has been faced with the idea of Ani being taken away for some time. The rest of you never considered it a real possibility. Mara was never taken away for her crimes. Why should Ani be?"

"Why should Ani be?" Jaina's bitter voice countered.

"Because the galaxy is a harsh and unrepentant place that is neither fair nor logical. Why was Darth Vader never punished and Anakin Skywalker forced to pay for Vader's crimes?"

"He shouldn't be. He was the reason that the rest of us are here today. He killed the Emperor."

"A fact that I am certain your grandfather's lawyer will hotly dispute in court. For now, though, you can do little but visit him. Which brings me to another topic, do you think you could fly me to Coruscant?"

"What? When? Why?"

"Coruscant, preferably tomorrow morning, I need to go to a meeting, and… I hate flying."

"I thought hate was of the darkside."

"Now you know why I didn't make it onto the council."

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A few days later, the much esteemed Obi-Wan Kenobi was sitting with the highly esteemed Luke Skywalker and his highly dangerous wife in their apartment on Coruscant.

"Sith, I hate meetings. Pathetic bunch of life forms. Senators and homeless bums can be easily exchanged for each other. And why couldn't my evil apprentice do the universe a favor and kill all the Gungans while he was being all Sithly? They haven't exactly evolved over time. I think Binks had a family and they multiplied well."

Luke frowned. "What does your dog have to do with those annoying senators?"

"HE. IS. NOT. MY. Dog." Obi-Wan ground out in frustration.

"He sleeps in your bed, Ben."

"So? Your niece shared a bunk with me on our flight over. That doesn't make her my lover."

Mara glanced up. "Really?"

"I… oh, you can't seriously think that I'd do anything like that."

"You're a man aren't you?" Mara snorted with a gleam in her eye.

"I'm a Jedi Master!"

Mara glanced at Luke. "So is he, it never stopped him from checking me out."

"She's very young."

"That never stopped Han when it came to Leia."

"I think that our age difference is quite a bit larger than that. Besides, I don't think like that."

"Again I say you're a guy. Even Jedi get frisky."

"Mara!" Luke's face blushed crimson. "Could we talk about something other than Ben's non-existent love life? Don't you two think that there is enough melodrama in the family already?"

Mara looked at her husband. "Spoilsport, I never get to see Obi. Now you're taking away the fun of teasing him. Now I won't get to see him stammer and blush."

Obi-Wan imperiously leveled his gaze at Mara. "I knew you were talking to Qui-Gon too much, only he would know how to make me utterly and totally embarrassed."

"What can I say, he's not your normal Jedi. And he is really sneaky too."

"What do you mean he's really sneaky?" Luke asked befuddled.

Mara smiled and looked at Obi-Wan. "Why don't you ask the Jedi Master why he ended up bunking with Jaina."

"All the cots were missing except… No. Qui-Gon wouldn't do that to me."

Mara grinned. "Like I said, sneaky."

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A gentle rap brought Lando's attention back from the letter Han had sent him. It was so strange. His life had twisted in so many directions from the scoundrel he had set out to be in life. As he shuffled to his door he smirked. Never had he dreamed he would play such a large role in saving the galaxy.

Outside of the door a short Rhodian handed him a data pad and rushed away. They had found a gap in the Hutt patrol areas. They also had a planet that they could launch the invasion from if the locals agreed. 

Lando blinked at the pad. What kind of planet was Kamino?


	24. Lovers and others

First chap = disclaimer

Extra special thanks to all reviewers

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Jaina shivered as she walked into the prison. It was not a place that she liked to be at, but it she needed to talk to someone, and Ani was the only one she could truly talk to. Qui-Gon was way to close to being Obi-Wan's father, Anakin would probably freak, and Luke would most likely go off into denial that Obi-Wan was even a man.

Ani grinned at his granddaughter. "Came to talk shop?" He asked as she sat down.

"Talk shop?" Jaina parroted, confused.

"You know, droids, ships, annoying Jedi Masters…"

"How did you know what I came to talk about?"

"The Force told me."

Jaina squinted at Ani. "The Force didn't tell you."

"Alright, so Jacen sent me a voice message that alluded to the fact that you and Obi-Wan had had a cozy talk the other night."

Jaina frowned. How did Jacen know anything from that talk? She and Obi-Wan didn't even talk about anything that could be remotely construed as romantic. Annoyed at her brother's perceptiveness of her feelings, Jaina decided to at least shock her grandfather.

"We slept together."

Ani's eyebrows made contact with his hair line. Blindly he groped with the Force to ascertain Jaina's aura. She was telling the truth. Breath did not come even though his mouth was opening and closing.

"Ani! Breathe!" Jaina's voice went through the protective barrier with an additional push from the Force.

"You What?" Ani croaked out.

"We slept together, on the same cot on the same starship at the same time."

"I thought Obi-Wan never got horny."

"Horny, who said anything about getting naked? I just said we slept together. That's the problem. We just slept together. He didn't even look embarrassed."

Ani regained his senses enough to muster a glare before he erupted into chuckles.

"You really had me going for a second there. I thought Obi-Wan had finally gotten off of his prefect Jedi bent."

"So, you think it is impossible for him to have anything but a platonic relationship?"

"Oh, pretty much close to impossible."

"Oh," was all Jaina had to say. She had not realized how much she liked the idea of being close to Obi-Wan until the opportunity was taken away.

"Jaina, I said that it was nigh on close to impossible. But you do have to remember that doing the impossible runs in your family, and I for one think that Obi needs a happy ending for once is his life."

"You realize that you are encouraging me to give my parents, siblings, friends, and crew mates heart attacks."

"Jaina, I'm encouraging you to go after a man who exhibits the sexual passion of an armchair. He'll probably be the one with the heart attack. There is only so much he can deny and repress before something gives, you know."

"Do you think he likes me?"

"Of course."

"How can you tell? I mean, you yourself said that he isn't exactly…ummm…"

"Chomping at the bit for a girlfriend? I said Obi doesn't exhibit those feelings, not that he doesn't have them. As for him liking you, he likes you. You're just the type of person he hangs out with. 1. You're a Skywalker, 2. You're a Jedi, 3.You're good looking, 4. You fight with him, which is very important to him by the way, and 5. You have just that tiny bit of a defiant streak in you. He can't help but play with that kind of fire."

"You know, I thought that this would be a bit more awkward."

Ani smiled. "Chalk it up to the fact that this is the first fun conversation I've had since I was tossed in this wretched place. Now, go make Obi-Wan nervous for me."

Jaina grinned. "Anything for you, _Grandpa."_

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Tahiri smiled complacently at Anakin as he fumbled at his attempts at small talk. He had taken her on a date to a fancy Coruscant restaurant. The instant they had been seated, he had turned into a stuttering idiot. It had continued until the food arrived. They ate. Then the stuttering had resumed the instant they had finished dessert. 

She supposed it had something to do with the dress Jaina had loaned her. It was a pale green that plunged at the neckline. Because of Jaina's taller stature, the dress was floor length on Tahiri where it wasn't on the pilot. Still, it didn't appear to matter to Anakin. He had long since resorted to just grinning mindlessly at her.

Suddenly, Anakin's face switched from delirious to concerned to amused.

"Anakin?" Tahiri asked of his sudden mood change.

Chuckling, Anakin subtly gestured to a table off to Tahiri's left. There sat Obi-Wan Kenobi looking for the world like he was sleeping with his eyes open. There were five prominent senators seated around the Jedi Master, all of whom were making grand political statements that basically said nothing.

"Master looks so bored. Why don't we go liven things up for him?"

"Anakin, I don't think Master Kenobi would be pleased if we interrupted."

"Who said anything about interrupting? I was suggesting that we go dance." He gestured to the mostly barren dance floor that was in plain view of Obi-Wan's glazed over eyes.

Tahiri nodded her consent. She was surprised when Anakin pulled her close as they began to slow dance to the band that was playing. As they continued, Anakin left very little space between them as they continued to move together. Tahiri sighed as she leaned her head against Anakin's shoulder. Absently she felt his hand begin to slide lower on her back.

Then he spun her around and pulled her back to him. He grinned at her questioning look and gestured behind him with a look of his own. Tahiri peered around Anakin's shoulder to see that Obi-Wan was definitely not asleep. He looked rather surprised that things had progressed so quickly.

Brazenly, Tahiri smiled and waved. Anakin smiled and blew a kiss as he escorted Tahiri off the floor and out of the restaurant.

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	25. Plans & Embarassment

First chap = disclaimers

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Anakin stared blankly at the back of his father's head. He had no sooner bid Tahiri goodnight than he had been called to a secret meeting at his uncle's apartment. When he arrived, Han and Chewie were already sitting with Lando and Luke. Mara and Leia were in the kitchen fixing drinks of alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties. Little Ben was being put to bed by Obi-Wan.

Apparently, once Anakin had arrived they were just waiting for the twins. The door swished open allowing Jacen and Tenel Ka in. Jacen shot a Han like grin over at his brother while the Dathomirian warrior strode over to stand by Chewie. Jaina followed two minutes later, her hair falling over her shoulders and her breathing heavy.

Jaina blushed as she looked around the assembled room. "Sorry, I was busy talking to Tahiri. My comm. unit was on mute."

Obi-Wan shot a smug look at Anakin and the young Solo knew exactly what his Master had been thinking. Jacen, however, beat Kenobi to the punch.

"Didn't Anakin take out Tahiri tonight?"

"Yes, well, I did. Anyway, ummm, what are we here for?" Anakin stammered.

Lando stood up and smiled. "I have recently received a report from my…Scouts."

"*You mean space traders.*" Chewie interjected.

Lando shot a scathing look at the Wookie and continued. "Whatever you call them, they've found a hole in the Hutt defenses. They have also found a planet that we may be able to launch an attack from if the locals agree."

Luke looked up and smiled. "That is good new Lando, but we don't have the Senate's permission yet."

"True," Tenel Ka spoke, "But, that does not mean you cannot secure their allegiance. Why do you not send an envoy to at least start negotiations with this planet?"

Leia smiled approvingly at the younger woman. That had been her thought as well. "I agree with Tenel Ka. Why don't we go and begin negotiations with this planet?"

"It would be a prudent move. What is this planet called, Lando?" Anakin asked.

"Well, we haven't had much success with dredging up information. But, we do know that the planet is called Kamino…"

Lando broke off at the sight of a venerable Jedi Master hitting his head against Luke's coffee table.

"Ben?" Luke's voice queried, afraid that all the meetings had finally caught up with the elder Jedi.

"Why me? Why? Why does my life have to be repeating itself? Train a Skywalker, have a battle, train a Skywalker, have a battle. Now the stupid planets are repeating themselves."

Mara looked at him. "SO, I'm guessing that you know about Kamino?"

"Of course. One would think being a member of the Empire you would to. Do the words 'Clones" and 'storm toppers' mean anything to you?"

Han looked at him. "Isn't that a rhetorical question?"

"They created the clones. They built the clone army for Palpatine. Don't tell me your history books are that barren."

Leia looked at the others in the room. The only person that seemed to have a vague knowledge about Kamino was Mara, and even she was a bit puzzled.

Obi-Wan snorted. "Well, I must say, Palpatine was very thorough. If you want me to, I will go to Kamino and open a dialogue. I evidently know a great deal more about their culture than you do. I have been there before."

Luke pursed his lips and looked at Leia. Leia smiled over at Obi-Wan.

"I'm sure that the Senate could spare you for a few days while you established communications."

The room nodded in general consensus. Luke, however, raised his hand.

"I agree that Ben will be the most likely candidate, but I would like to send someone else along. I don't want to send him on a solo mission, and I think it would be best if there was a representative of the current Republic or Jedi Order with him."

"Why not both?" Jaina asked. Taking a breath she continued. "Look, I'm a member of the New Jedi Order. I'm also a member of the New Republic military. I'm logically the best choice and I'm sure that some strings could be pulled to get me off of official duty."

Mara looked at her former apprentice and hid a grin. Somehow, she didn't think that Jaina's motives were all that pure. Mara might have thought that, but her only voiced opinion was positive of the plan, as was everyone else's.

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Qui-Gon Jinn sighed as he walked through yet another Coruscant hallway. He'd disliked Coruscant when the Temple was still there. Now, it was even worse with the lingering taste of evil that still lurked about.

He had been called to replace Obi-Wan as his former apprentice left for a "top secret" mission. He was currently on his way to speak with Obi-Wan before the boy departed.

That thought caused a hesitation in Jinn's stride. How could he still think of Obi-Wan as his boy? By any standard Obi-Wan was well past his adulthood. Yet, Qui-Gon didn't believe that Obi-Wan would be anything but his. His last apprentice was the closest thing that he would ever have to a child.

Logically, Qui-Gon knew that the new rules allowed for romantic relationships, but he just didn't feel that urge anymore. Even if Tahl were to come back, he did not believe that he could have children. It wouldn't be fair. Obi-Wan would always be his favorite. His children would resent that.

Obi-Wan, on the other hand, he could use a bit of romance. Qui-Gon was not opposed to becoming a surrogate grandfather.

Smirking to himself, Qui-Gon rung Obi-Wan's doorbell and was granted entrance. Inside the small quarters, Jinn could see Obi-Wan methodically packing a small bag. Sea colored eyes snapped up at him.

Qui-Gon flinched. When Obi-Wan's eyes looked Blue, he was happy, green meant passionate, gray meant irritation and was normally associated with battle. They were gray.

"You are not happy with me for some reason."

Obi-Wan pursed his lips. "Well, at least you are perceptive. No I'm not happy with you. Care to guess why?"

Qui-Gon tilted his head to the side. He had an idea, but why Obi-Wan was so upset was beyond him. "I take it that this has something to do with the bed on your trip here?"

"Your brilliance astounds me. Do you have any idea how embarrassed I was?"

"You were embarrassed? What, were you sore in the morning?"

Obi-Wan flushed bright red. "That… that doesn't even deserve a comment!"

Qui-Gon frowned. "I had no idea you would be so reactionary about sleeping on the floor."

"What?"

"Well, I thought your gallantry would endear you to her. Obviously, I was only able to make you irritated."

Obi-Wan refused to make eye contact. "Oh."

Qui-Gon knew that particular 'Oh.' It wasn't the 'We just had a misunderstanding' 'oh'; it was the 'We were on totally different pages' 'oh.'

"Obi-Wan, did I miss something?"

"Iddnslpontheflr."

"You realize that comment sounded suspiciously like the time your mouth swelled up in an allergic reaction, don't you?"

Qui-Gon watched in amazement as Obi-Wan's red face made his hair look positively pale.

"I didn't exactly sleep on the floor. We, sort of, shared."

"You slept in shifts? OH, You slept…together."  
  


"Don't say it like that. It makes it sound like I'm a dirty old man."

"Obi-Wan, you haven't even had a crush since you turned twenty-one. I hardly think you qualify for pervert status."

Obi-Wan smiled his thanks and closed his bag. "Well, now that that embarrassing talk is over with. Why don't I brief you on the wonderful intricacies of modern day boredom. AKA: Politics in the modern Republic."


	26. Kamino

Thank You for your Patience.

I've been very busy as of late. Hence, this update is wayyyy later than normal. I'm not sure when I will be able to update next, but rest assured, I will finish the story ;)

First chap = disclaimers

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Obi-Wan frowned as he and Jaina landed on Kamino. It was raining. There was lightening flashing in the sky. It looked exactly the same as it had when he last visited the planet so many years ago. That, however, was what troubled him. In fact, visiting the planet at all was not bothering him more than usual. His company was.

Jaina had been friendly on their way there. She had been nice. They had talked. She asked about his childhood. She asked about his adulthood. She hadn't fallen asleep on his discourse of proper protocol for addressing the council. She had started to call him Obi-Wan regularly instead of the Master Kenobi or Ben that others preferred.

There were also her smiles towards him when he slipped up and used some of his saltier vocabulary. There was the way she had looked at him when they had eaten the small rations for dinner. 

Obi-Wan sneaked a glance over at Jaina as they walked behind their guide. She was paying full attention to absorbing the hallways and the people that had built them. She felt his eyes upon her and flashed him a grin. He quickly averted his eyes.

This was not good. Next thing he knew, he was going to be blushing and stammering whenever he talked to her. He was a Jedi Master and a general in the Clone Wars. He should have more control than what he was exhibiting. He frowned. To change who he was could be disastrous. His whole life was built around Jedi mantras. He needed to remain in control of his emotions.

Jaina all but whooped in joy when Obi-Wan glanced away. Apparently, she had inherited the Solo gene for flirtation and seduction. It was fair play; she mused. Obi-Wan Kenobi had been doing funny things to her stomach since she first set eyes on him. Now, it was her turn to make him nervous.

Both their trains of thought were abruptly shut off as they were introduced to the magistrate.

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Ani sat as his lawyer debated his citizenship with some other lawyer and a judge. They were currently arguing about justice, fairness and the right to score approval points. At least, that was what the discussion had turned into. Everyone, it seemed, wanted in on the trial of Anakin Skywalker.

Ani had completely phased out after the third round of bickering started. Then the judge addressed him.

"Mr. Skywalker. What is your planet of origin?"

Ani looked up. "Tatooine."

The opposing lawyer seized on the information. "See? Tatooine is not a planet controlled by the Empire."

Ani sighed. "My apologies to the court, but when I was born, Tatooine was under Hutt control."

Both lawyers' faces fell. The judge sighed. Ani was technically last listed as a citizen of Coruscant, and Coruscant was a Republic planet. But, the Coruscant Ani was from became the center of the Empire and was still under the Empire's control at the time of his death.

The judge dismissed the arguing lawyers. "I will take two hours to deliberate. We will adjourn until then."

Ani closed his eyes and got up to go wait in another room. Hopefully, the judge would rule in his favor. If he was a citizen of the Empire, his crimes would be far less serious than if he was tried as a citizen of the Republic.

In the old days, he would have attempted a touch of mind persuasion to aid his situation. There were definitely drawbacks to being on the light side of the Force.

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Jaina sighed as she brushed out her hair. After several hours talking about virtually nothing, they had spent a total of fifteen minutes talking about their real purpose in on Kamino.

She now held a greater respect for her mother. The politics of the situation were astoundingly boring yet intrinsically important to their cause. She was used to an hour of negotiations and then something disastrous happening that required her great Jedi battle skills.

Worse than the fact that she had been bored was the fact that Obi-Wan knew she had been bored. It was not the best way to impress a man that spent most of his life settling disputes diplomatically. It was most certainly not the way to prove your maturity.

Jaina heard a tentative knock at her door. Confused, she went to open it manually. Obi-Wan stood outside and slipped past her before she could invite him in.

Jaina sent him her best "Mara" like scowl. "Do you have a phobia about doorbells?"

"I do not like to be electronically tracked. If I rang your room, they could have tracked it."

Jaina's eyebrows reached her hairline. "Aren't you a bit… paranoid?"

Obi-Wan looked at her. He paled. He had been on an emotional rollercoaster all day long. He had not even realized that his brain had quit all logical reasoning.

"I..I, umm, that is to say that. Can I start this whole discussion over again?"

"You mean I just snapped you back to reality from whatever lala land you were just in?"

"Truthfully? Yes. It is just that I think the last few years suddenly caught up with me. The last time I was on Kamino, lets just say things did not end well."

Jaina glanced at him as he sat down in one of the provided chairs. "I thought that you were fine with it. You did not seem to have any problems on the trip here or at the meeting today."

Obi-Wan sighed. "I was dealing with it. There was just a proverbial straw."

"What?"

"You know 'The straw that broke the Bantha's back'?"

"Oh. What was the straw?"

Obi-Wan blushed. He stared at the wall. His complexion started to grow redder. Then he started to make funny noises. Jaina cast out her sense to see what was wrong, but she could not find anything amiss, so she slapped him on the back.

"Obi-Wan, Breathe!"

Obi-Wan coughed then looked at her embarrassed.

"You want to tell me what that was all about? Somehow I don't think the headline "Jedi Master dies because he forgot to inhale" would be a fitting epitaph to you life."

"Our guide came to see me in my room. He brought some gifts and apologized profusely for giving my lady friend and I separate rooms."

Jaina looked at his miserable face and did the only thing she could. She started laughing.

"It isn't funny."

"Yes it is. Obi-Wan you are possibly the only heterosexual, non-relative, human, male that would be upset because someone thought you were my boyfriend."

"They aren't supposed to think that I'm with anyone. This is almost as bad as the time they thought I was Yoda's love slave."

"Hey! I find that remark highly insulting. I am NOT like Yoda!"

Obi-Wan smirked. "How would you know? You've never seen him."

"Well I guess it is just too bad that being a Jedi doesn't mean the same thing it used to. Maybe you need to be re-oriented." 

Obi-Wan eyed Jaina as she approached. "Have you been talking to Qui-Gon?" He inwardly winced at the crack in his voice.

"Nope. It is worse than that. I talked to Ani."

"Oh, Sith. Jaina, I'm not that kind of guy."

"So? I'm not that kind of girl. At least, not on the first date."

"Jaina, I am old enough to be your father."

"You are almost old enough to be my great-grandfather. Unfortunately, you are also cute, and infuriate me. That is the exact combination that drive people in my family nuts."

"Yes, it comes from your grandmother's side. Your family has the strangest love lives."

"Then why don't we make it stranger?"

"Because I am a Jedi Master." Obi-Wan said as he lunged out of his chair and backed up against her wall.

"I am a Jedi Knight. Obi-Wan, you belong in the New Order now. It is time to take that final step. You have things to teach us, we have things we can teach you. Like this for instance."

Jaina leaned up quickly and placed a kiss on his lips. She was surprised when he grabbed her back and returned the favor more soundly. 

Her shock showed when he released her.

 "Do or do not, there is no try." He said.

"Isn't that a misapplication of Jedi knowledge?"

"So is using the Force to win a dice game. What can I say? I had a bad example growing up." His cocky grin started spreading across his face. 

"Are you sure that you're the same man that was in here ten minutes ago?"

"You made me make the decision; you have to live with the consequences."

Jaina rolled her eyes. "Jinn warned me about your hidden ego."

"You should have listened to him."

"Goodnight Master Kenobi."

"Oh, is that what you have to say to me after all of this?" He smirked as he jaunted out of her room.

She followed him to her door. He turned around and looked at her. 

"What?"

"You didn't say goodnight."

"Goodnight, Knight Solo."

"Much better."

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Ani looked evenly at the small gathering of select news people there to catch the judge's ruling. Among them were his two children there to show support to the father they had not known. Anakin and Qui-Gon stood next to them. It was amusing to see how calm both Anakin and Qui-Gon were compared to Luke and his sister.

  While all four were Ani's family in one way or another, the twins demonstrated more nervous energy than the two who had spent more time around him. Ani spared a smile for his namesake. The boy looked as serene as his Master, but Ani knew he had his grandfather's temperament stashed in there somewhere. He wouldn't have made a good pilot if he didn't.

Before Ani could contemplate any further, the judge appeared. A flood of emotion rushed over him as the ruling was read. He would be tried as a citizen of the Empire.

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Jaina growled as she flung her cloak across her small room. Three days of negotiations had gone by, and she swore the only thing they had accomplished was that they all agreed it rained on Kamino.

The representatives were not being exactly helpful. What was worse was that she was having enormous guilt pains whenever she thought about her mother.  Jaina had sneered at the diplomacy and politics her mother was so proficient at. Now, she had to admit she had been far too harsh. In some ways fighting to the death was easier than double talk in meetings.

The only thing that made them bearable was the fact that Obi-Wan had confided in her that he actually detested politics. If he hated politics and could live with negotiations, then so could she. Admittedly, her motives were not that pure. Half of her wanted to impress Kenobi while the other part was busy mollifying her ego.

A hesitant tap at the door forced her to compose herself. She had not spoken with Obi-Wan privately since the first time she kissed him. It would do her no good to come to the door flustered.

Her disappointment showed for a mere second when she opened the door and saw one of the representatives.

Large eyes blinked at her. "Jedi Solo, would you please come with me?" Before Jaina could question the tall being it began to stride quickly away.

Jaina sensed no ill will and followed her escort. "May I ask what this is about?"

Its eyes refocused on Jaina as they continued to walk down another blank hallway. "We did not know if we could trust you when you came. The man you are with. He has lived before."

Jaina nodded. "That is true, but how did you know this? We did not mention it."

"Long ago, my Grandmother escorted him through these halls. We have records of it."

"But why would you trust me?"

"You are who you are. You have not been brought back. Your payment is not suspicious."

Jaina sighed. Their particular brand of logic failed her as did their simple motivations. They wanted to be left in peace and paid well. Most of the negotiations centered more around achieving the 'peace and quiet' requests than the financial side.

"Why does it make me unsuspicious?"

"Because you have not been contaminated."

A door swished open and Jaina could see four figures inside a small room.

"These have come from the system you wish to enter. They asked for asylum. Others came to take them claiming that they were fugitives. We kept them, and then you came. We did not know whether they were brainwashed or their pursuants were. The story you tell matches their story. You are the only one who was not reborn."

Jaina frowned. The Kaminoan's logic was severely flawed, but she was not about to debate on something in her favor.

"Does this mean you will grant us access?"

"We will grant you access."

Jaina nodded and looked back at the cell. It looked like it was going to be a cramped trip back to Coruscant.


	27. Yoda, Mace, Siri, and Bant

First chap = disclaimers

Obi's age. Let's see he was cloned in his early twenties. And Anakin was eight then. Anakin returned on his 18th birthday, and it's been two year since then making him twenty. That means Obi is about 32 as is Ani. Qui-Gon was a touch older, so he would be about 37-40 right now.

Sorry this chapter focuses on only one group. I'll be back to the others next chapter.

You can do anything you want to with this story as long as you credit me as the author. Drop me a note and tell me if you want to archive it somewhere.

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Jaina looked into the room where the four other Jedi were being held. Her guide had gone to wake Obi-Wan to inform him of their imminent departure. She shrugged her shoulders. They really didn't like outsiders. Once they had made their decision, they felt no need to keep the extra Jedi around.

They would deal with the official diplomatic team to decide on allowing launch points.

Jaina nervously cleared her throat. She desperately wished that Obi-Wan was doing this.

"Hi." Oh, she thought, there's a stellar comment.

"You're not Kaminoan." A blonde haired woman stated.

"I think she knows that, Siri." One of the others corrected.

Jaina drew herself up to her full height. "I am Jaina Solo, Jedi Knight and Representative of the Republic Army. The Kaminoans have agreed to release you into my custody."

Siri looked her up and down. Jaina swore she could see right through her calm exterior.

"No need to get huffy, Solo. I just like to know who I'm dealing with."

"Hmm, Flustered you are, but scared you are not. Good this is."

Jaina let her eyes wander to the short green… thing seated on the floor. She did not know the species, but it looked like Luke's description of Master Yoda. On the other hand, she didn't know how many of the species had been Jedi before the purges.

Jaina gave a weak smile. "Yes, well they have requested that we remove ourselves as quickly as possible, so why don't we go now and finish our introductions later?"

"Agreed," was all the tallest member of the group said.

Jaina felt slightly uncomfortable as the other four trustingly followed her down the corridor. She kept praying that she wouldn't get lost on her way back. Hopefully all of those training exercises she'd gone on with Mara would help her keep her sense of direction.

For a second, she had been reminded of how she had felt the first few months Anakin had been back. She had been so awestruck by the perception of what they were that she had paled in comparison. After spending time with them, she had realized that while there were indeed many things she lacked, her powers were still just as great as theirs.

Half of a battle is always psychological; she reminded herself.

"Jedi Solo," a soft Kaminoan voice called her. "Your companion packed your bag for you. He is waiting at your ship."

Jaina nodded and turned direction. "Are you sure you don't want to slam the door on my arse on the way out too?" She muttered under her breath.

Siri laughed behind her.

Obi-Wan sighed as he started the pre-flight sequence. He thought the last time he was here hadn't gone well. This time, he had been walked in on, told he had an agreement and told to leave. Then he had to suffer the mortification of packing Jaina's things. The Kaminoans were definitely suffering from their lack of contact with society.

He heard the loading ramp come down and then seal shut. He didn't bother to reach out with the Force. He knew it was Jaina. No-one else on this Sith spawned planet would want to board. He quickly keyed in the take off sequence, and they began their ascent.

He stood and began to walk back to the galley. 

"You know, I have to say, the automatic takeoff is a vast improvement in space technology."

"I thought that apprentice of yours cured you of flying Obi." A feminine voice answered. It was not Jaina.

Obi-Wan entered the small seating area next to the galley. "Siri!" His face split into a grin as he swept his old friend into a quick hug.

Jaina shifted uncomfortably. "I take it you two know each other?"

Obi-Wan released Siri and looked at Jaina. His eyes did a quick scan of the room. "Actually, it would be more appropriate to say us five know each other."

His grin softened a touch as he pulled the next being close to him. "Hello, Bant."

Jaina watched in wonder as the Mon Calamari gently squeezed Obi-Wan before letting go.

"I do hope you aren't going to hug me, Master Kenobi."

A defiant look flared in Obi-Wan's eyes before he shook his head. "No, Master Windu."

"Expect to see you on Kamino, I did not. Avoid it, I would have thought you would."

Obi-Wan nodded. "It was necessary. Luke did not have anyone that knew the planet as well as even I did."

Siri moved impatiently. "I'm certain we will be discussing more serious matters soon enough. Perhaps we should all get better acquainted? After all, this ship doesn't appear to have been built for more than three people."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Of course, where are my manners? I assume you have all met Jaina?"

"She led us to the ship." Bant replied.

"Well then. Jaina, this is Master Mace, Bant, Siri, and Master Yoda."

Siri poked him in his side. "I don't get a Master?"

"No, I out rank you."

A flash of jealousy showed in Jaina's eyes as she watched the exchange. Obi-Wan immediately looked at her, but found nothing as she quickly dispelled the emotion.

Mace looked at her. "She was your apprentice?"

Obi-Wan's eyebrows raised. "No, why would you think that?"

"Your signatures seem unusually joined."

Obi-Wan almost groaned. The Jedi he was used to being around either would never look at something like that or had been trying to push him into a relationship. Trust the Force to send a complicator along.

Jaina sent Mace a glare. "'She' is in the room you know."

A chuckle came from Siri and a quiet snort sounded from Yoda's direction.

"Like her mother she is, glad you trained Luke I am. Handle his sister I could not have."

Jaina lost her ire in favor of shock. Did Yoda just crack a joke?

Mace frowned. "Who is this Luke?"

"You're joking right?" Jaina's disbelief showed through.

"Unfortunately, he is not. Master Mace held to more traditional views on joining the Force, I highly doubt he remembers much past his point of death. Bant and Siri most likely have the same problem."

"Rub it in why don't you?" Siri griped. Bant merely nodded her head in agreement.

"Always willing to explore ideas, a Jedi should be. Remember that we all should."

"Why don't you tell us who Luke is?" Bant suggested.

Obi-Wan grinned. "You remember Amidala's twins?"

"We couldn't exactly forget, Kenobi." Siri remarked.

"Yes, well Luke is Anakin's son. When Luke was eighteen, I started his training. Then I got run through by Darth Vader. Luke was trained by Master Yoda. He turned his father back to the light side and Vader killed Palpatine."

"Major history in five sentences. I'm impressed."

"Thank you, Jaina."

"So, give the earlier comment, Knight Solo is the daughter's child?" Mace asked.

Obi-Wan nodded.

"That explains why her Force signature is so strange."

Jaina fought back a snide comment. She was beginning to dislike this Mace character.

"Jaina, why don't you go up to the cockpit and send a message to your Uncle?" 

Jaina looked sharply at Obi-Wan. He was up to something. He was purposely trying to get rid of her. She nodded and crisply left, but not before letting a jealous eye wander over Siri.

Siri watched Jaina leave. "I like her. She's got some spunk. I'm amazed you didn't drain it out of her by now."

Obi-Wan did not respond to her comment. "I need to know you aren't spies. Can you prove that Callista did not send you to undermine us?"

Mace looked over at him. "We can obviously tell you the story of our escape, but I sense that is not what you seek."

Obi-Wan nodded. "I dis not wish to expose Jaina to such a horror as I am about to inflict.  I see no other way that I can assure your intentions. For you to just pop up on Kamino is rather convenient."

"What you seek to do, dangerous it is. But strong enough I sense you are. Willing we will be."

Obi-Wan smiled at the amount of faith that Yoda put in his abilities. He had not even given him a lecture about the ethical implications.

He closed his eyes and let his consciousness drift. Gently he used the Force to grab a hold of the mind closest to him. Then he plunged head on into it abruptly pulling out and moving on to the next. Relief flooded his features as he finished.

"You are no longer deceived. Although, I am interested in how you managed to de-brainwash Master Mace."

Pounding footsteps echoed down the corridor as Jaina plowed into the room. "What WAS that? One moment I'm sending a message home, the next thing I know my brain is doing whirligigs inside my eyelids."

Obi-Wan blushed. "You weren't supposed to sense that. At least, you weren't supposed to sense it like that."

Bant looked at her gently. "Obi-Wan projected his psyche into ours to ascertain our truthfulness. You probably felt his separation into the Force."

"YOU WHAT? Oh, that just sounds plain stupid. How have you ever kept yourself alive doing stunts like that?"

Mace looked speculatively at the pair. Something was going on there and he was not certain it was merely the fact that she was the granddaughter of the chosen one.

"Jaina, please. I knew what I was doing. Can we argue about this later? I think that our guests need to be brought up to speed on everything past the Jedi purges."

Jaina frowned and acquiesced. "Later. Now, do I get to lecture or do you?"

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	28. HI There

First Chap = Disclaimers

Thanks to all my reviewers!!

Oh, I know that Mace seems a touch uppity in this chap. Don't worry, I do like him so he won't end up that way.

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    Jaina breathed deeply as she piloted her craft down through the levels of Coruscant. Encapsulating history had now shot up onto her top ten things she detested. It ranked right under not being able to spend quality time with Obi-Wan because of Jedi business. She had just managed to finish the original Thrawn saga before the ship signaled that they were approaching coruscant.

     Leia had arranged for them to land at a more secure and out of the way docking port given their passengers. So, they were landing at what appeared to be a very dingy and rickety docking station. Lando said it belonged to a friend of his. "Don't ask," was his formal comment.

     The landing struts made contact with the platform with minimum jostling. Jaina sighed and turned off the engines. Windu would no doubt chide her for un-Jedi like pride in her piloting; she thought with a snarl. Composing herself, she went to inform the others that they could disembark.

     Waiting on the platform, Luke ran his cybernetic hand through his sandy hair. Four new Jedi were on that ship. One of them was Master Yoda. He could hardly contain his excitement when he told his family.

     Qui-Gon's reaction had puzzled him. He had appeared to be rather subdued at the news. It was almost like a child that was told he could no longer play with a certain toy.

     Luke shook his head. He could have just imagined the whole thing. Qui-Gon was still an enigma to him. Jinn's brain seemed to follow a different path than Luke's did. Luke still could not fathom how Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan could ever have accomplished anything together. They seemed so different.

Luke's eyes traveled to the Jedi he had just been thinking about. Qui-Gon, Leia and Anakin had come with Luke to greet the guests. The others were waiting at Leia's ambassadorial suite. 

Gusts of wind blew across the platform while they were waiting for the hatch to open. Then it did.

    Obi-Wan came out first followed by Mace, Siri, Bant and Yoda. Jaina was at the end and secured the hatch before following the others. After she closed the hatch, Jaina went to bring the shuttle over that would take them to Leai's apartment.

Mace's eyes scanned the four waiting. He would recognize Jinn's stance anywhere. How a Jedi could look so calm and so defiant at the same time was amazing. The shorter man on his left would have to be Luke. He assumed that the woman waiting was Leia. Her Force signature was too close to Luke's to be anything else but his twin. His eyes focused on the tall figure on the end. He didn't know who it was. The stranger's hood shielded his face from view.

  Mace halted as Obi-Wan came to a stop and gave a short bow in greeting. As Obi-Wan gave a short introduction, Mace scanned the small assembly. Luke looked uncomfortable at the respect that Obi-Wan was showing in his speech. Leia, on the other hand, looked as comfortable as could be, a clear indication of her years in politics.

Qui-Gon caught Mace's eye as it landed upon him. He answered it with a smarmy grin. Irritated as he was by Qui-Gon's traditional disregard for any council member, mace did not hear the name of the fourth greeter. It did not matter. Siri repeated it in a rather shrill squeak.

"Anakin?" Four pairs of eyes were burning through Anakin's hood.

Anakin frowned in confusion. What was wrong? Then he caught a conspiring glance from his former Master. A light bulb clicked on in Anakin's head. Obi-Wan hadn't given his last name. Anakin's face twisted in a smirk he had learned from Obi-Wan as he pushed his hood back.

"Anakin Solo. I am pleased to make your acquaintance." 

Yoda chuckled. "Hmmm, tall you are. Your grandfather's twisted sense of humor, you also have."

"Actually, I think he got his humor from his Master." Qui-Gon interjected.

Bant looked pleasantly at the younger Knight. "You are not like the other Jedi."

Obi-wan smiled. "You always were very perceptive, Bant. Anakin was my apprentice. He was not trained at the Jedi Academy."

"Hmmm, Skywalkers you seem to be collecting, Master Kenobi."

Mace sighed. "Well I don't think that he will be able to train any more. All of your children are Jedi, are they not Senator Solo?"  

Leia nodded in affirmation. Before anyone could comment, Jaina pulled up with the shuttle, and they boarded to go to the apartment.

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As they walked down the hallway to their final destination, Qui-Gon took pity upon Mace.

"Mace, I think that there is something you should know."

"Jinn, don't patronize me. I am fully capable of dealing with this situation."

"I'm not patronizing you. I am just attempting to save you some embarrassment."

"I will manage."

Qui-Gon sighed. Well, if Mace wanted to look like an idiot, he could.

The door swished open. Fittingly, little Ben came rushing out to latch onto Luke's legs.

Luke swung the four year old up in the air.

Siri smiled. "Is he an initiate?"

Obi-Wan grinned as he exchanged a knowing look with Yoda. The little green troll had felt the family bond with Luke instantly.

"Actually, this is my namesake, Ben. Luke named him after me."

"He was abandoned?" Mace asked.

"No, Luke knocked up a hot red head and out came a baby." Obi-Wan grinned as the words sunk into Mace's consciousness. He didn't know whether the actual information or the way Obi-Wan had told him had shocked him more. Frankly, Obi-wan did not care.

"He is your biological child?" Mace questioned as they neared the living room of the apartment.

"Of course he is." Mara replied. "And just who are you to question my fidelity?"

A distinct red hue began to creep across Mace's shaved bald head.

Qui-Gon did not pass up the opportunity to gloat. "I told you I wanted to save you. But you just wouldn't listen now would you?"

Mace blinked and blinked again. There had to be someway out of this. "Well, one would be naturally curious. The boy does have reddish hair and is named after Obi-Wan. Rumors could start."

Mara laughed. "You've got a lot of spunk in there. You better hope you can back it up."

Mace relaxed. He hated to use sarcasm and jokes to get out of a situation, but it was better than suffering ultimate embarrassment and continual harassment.

Siri viewed the entire room. "It looks like you've got half the Jedi forces here. Only one missing is Anakin Skywalker."

"Father is in prison waiting for his trial. Otherwise I am sure he would be here to greet you." Luke supplied.

"Cloned your father was?"

"I'm sure Callista did not mention one of her greater failures to you." Obi-wan supplied. "Anakin has been quite helpful since we escaped."

Bant looked at the assembled Jedi. "It appears that we all have quite a bit to discuss."

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Ani laughed as Obi-Wan finished telling him about the four rescued Jedi. 

"So, Mace succumbed to Callista's brainwashing and the other three pulled him out of it so they could steal a ship?"

Obi-Wan grinned. "Yes, although Siri swore that she came up with the idea of Bant "seducing" him while she and Yoda moved into position."

Ani shook his head. "I don't think Bant could seduce anyone."

"I think that that was why Windu was shocked and couldn't sense Yoda coming. I must admit hitting him on the head with a walking stick was a bit trite."

Ani nodded. "Everyone has a story about Yoda and his cane."

"Yes they do. Oh, speaking of seduction, I hear that you were attempting to foster such an overture in my direction?" 

"Hey, it wasn't seduction, and it was for your own good. How badly did you let her down?"

Obi-Wan blushed.

Ani's eyebrow quirked. "You horny old bastard, you didn't brush her off did you?"

"It was late, I was frustrated, and she was very alluring."

"I don't believe it. I really am the chosen one. Only my relative could bring down the man that can stand in a room full of naked Hapen women and not get affected."

"How did this become a discussion of your ego? AND she did not 'bring me down' we only kissed."

Ani rolled his eyes. "I assumed that. I was surprised that you even got as far as a hug."

"You are incorrigible. I am very grateful that neither of my other apprentices came out with such an annoying opinion of themselves."

Ani grinned. "Speaking of apprentices…"

"Yes?"

"You seem to be getting along quite well with young Ben."

Obi-Wan's head snapped up as he squared his shoulders. "Have you been talking to Qui-Gon?"

Ani laughed. "You know, I think it is a good thing that Jaina's taken a liking to you. You get pulled into Skywalker business so often, you might as well become a full fledged family member."

Obi-Wan groaned. "The boy likes me. I'm around a lot. It doesn't mean that he's trying to bond."

Ani shook his head. "Even you don't buy that. Face it. You've got six years before you once again are shadowed by my illustrious kin."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't. Hate is of the darkside. And don't say that Padme shouldn't have married me. You don't believe that one either."

"You know, there is one big flaw in this entire scheme. If I have children with Jaina, who gets to train them?"

Ani grinned. "I'd tell you, but I don't want to frighten you."

Obi-Wan sighed. "I'll see you later, Ani."

"Bye"

Obi-Wan walked out of the prison and rubbed his temples. Talk of family was all well and good, but there was more pressing business to attend to. With one last groan, thrown in for good measure, Obi-Wan headed to the Senate building to plead his case for action.


	29. Dates

First chap = disclaimers

Okay, first this will not become an Obi/Siri story. In this story Obi & Siri are just friends. But Jaina wouldn't necessarily know that *evil grin* After all, wouldn't you be jealous of a close, attractive, female friend if you had just started a relationship with Obi?

Secondly, I chose to have Bant "seduce" Mace because it did seem so unlikely. It would no doubt be quite a shock to the Jedi.

As for the category, yeah, I was thinking about changing it. The story was originally supposed to end about two chapters after Anakin's return. Instead I have a Drama/Comedy going…

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Anakin closed his eyes as he concentrated on the feel of Tahiri's hand in his. They would be going to Kamino at the end of the week. There would be no time for lovers once they began the invasion. Part of him inwardly cringed at the thought. Even though he had had over two years to readjust to his family, they still did not know how extremely focused he could become.

A Jedi sometimes had to ignore everything around him in order to have success. The determinedness that this caused was often seen as calculated coldness while it was only designed to protect those around them. To allow emotional release in a time of great travail could cause devastation.  Ani himself had warned Anakin about this.

He had told Anakin that he know believed his path to darkness had been signed not the day that his mother died, but the day that Padme had fallen out of that ship on Geonosis. His mother's death had been terrible, and he had used the darkside in its aftermath. But, Ani had known that it was wrong. He had never been able to censure his outburst over Padme's injuries as wrong because of his love for Padme. She had been the other half of his soul.

Qui-Gon's story about Tahl had been similar. Only, Qui-Gon had recovered before it was too late.

Anakin looked at Tahiri as she leaned into the last bit of evening sun. He could easily imagine falling into that same trap. 

"You do realize that you're going to have to wear boots for the whole mission, don't you?"

Tahiri's eyes snapped open as she gave Anakin a cheeky grin. "The whole mission? Even at the victory celebration?"

"That isn't part of the mission. Besides, what makes you think we'll win?"

"ANAKIN! Don't joke about something like that."

Blue eyes turned calmly to her. "I'm not joking. We are talking about an entire army of trained Jedi. I'm just pointing out the possibilities."

Tahiri crossed her arms and pouted. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say this was a lame attempt to get past first base."

Anakin shook his head. "My apologies, I forgot that you don't discuss strategy every time you breathe. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, they are perpetual planners."

Tahiri smiled and pulled closer to signal her acceptance of his half-apology.

"Besides," Anakin continued, "what makes you think I couldn't get all the way to third base without cheap tricks?"

Tahiri blushed and laughed. "I don't know how you fit so many subtexts into one sentence like that."

"It's a gift."

"Anakin? Do you mind that I… that we… I mean…"

"Tahiri, I am a Jedi Knight. I was trained to ignore the impulses of my body. I have no problem dealing with the fact that I may die before we ever consummate our relationship. I would have a problem, living or dieing, with the knowledge that we rushed into a physical relationship before we were ready."

A sunny smile broke out across her face. "I think I know why Jaina finds Master Kenobi so attractive. After Kyp, it must be nice to have someone with compunction."

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Jaina stood frustrated. She was at her room in her mother's apartment. She did not keep her nice clothes in her barrack's locker. There was no need to. Now, she had twelve of her nicer outfits spread across her bed, and she couldn't eliminate a single one.

Obi-Wan had offered to take her out to dinner. She had accepted, but her rebellious mind wouldn't stop playing less than encouraging footage through her memory. She had seen them today. Obi-Wan had been sparring with Siri. Jaina had seen the other woman's moves. They were not as smooth as Obi-Wan's, but they did not have to be.

Siri's moves were uniquely her own, and Obi-Wan had found a challenge. 

Jaina grit her teeth. Obi-Wan loved a challenge. She shook her head sadly. She had spent nearly every day analyzing Obi-Wan ever since she had first laid eyes on him, but Siri had been his friend long before her mother had ever been a twinkle in Ani's eye. Sith, they had known each other since before Ani had even been born.

How could she compete with that?

"Distressed you are, disrupted my nap, you have."

Jaina yelped as she spun around to see Yoda staring calmly at her.

"What are you doing in my room? I'm in my underwear! I could have been naked!"

"When train fifty-two apprentices you have, know when decent a person is."

"That doesn't explain why you're in here."

"Help you I can, Yes, hmmm."

"I doubt that."

Yoda quickly dismissed the idea of riffling through her drawers and tossing things around. Her temperament was more her father's than her uncle's.

"Concerned about Obi-Wan you are. Sexy you find him."

Jaina's eyebrows shot straight up.

"When nine-hundred year you live, know things about young humans you do. Jealous of Siri are you?"

"I don't think that I can compete or compare."  
  


Yoda shook his head. "Too defiant Obi-Wan is for Siri."

Jaina frowned. "Shouldn't that be the other way around?"

"No. Siri may be brash, but defiant, Obi-Wan is. Long stories I could tell, but help you now, they would not. Enticing outfit for Obi-Wan you should pick."

Jaina couldn't control her mouth. "I didn't think you would approve. And I didn't think you had that kind of humor."

"Adapt to change a Jedi must. Humor comes from talking too much with Jinn and his apprentice. Bad they both are for sanity."

Jaina chuckled, then looked at her bed is dismay. "I haven't the foggiest idea of what to wear."

"Something you can fight in, I would recommend. A dive Obi-Wan will take you to."

"What?"

"Hate to be noticed Obi-wan does. To avoid notice, hang out in seedy places he will. Make friends with questionable people always he does. Know this you should."

Jaina sighed. "So I should wear something nice that would fit into a seedy place."

"Yes, blue it should be."

"Blue?"

"Lightsabre color it is. Like it Obi-Wan does, or chosen it he would not have."

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Obi-Wan shot a frustrated glare at Qui-Gon. "This is entirely your fault."

"I'm not the one who kissed her."

"No, but you planted all the seeds to get me there. Besides, how could you sic Yoda on her?"

"Because I was needed to make sure you wouldn't stand her up. Any male relative's advice would not have been appropriate. She doesn't know Bant or Siri well…"

"She doesn't know Yoda well either!"

"Yes, but she respects his authority. Where was I? Oh, yes. Tenel Ka is a friend, but she is not exactly romance on wheels. Tahiri is too besotted with Anakin to notice, and I certainly couldn't ask Leia."

"Yoda is romance in any form? And why couldn't you ask Leia?"

"Master Yoda has studied the human life form for ages. He knows his business. And I hardly think that Leia would agree to assisting her daughter get ready for a date with you."

"What's wrong with me?"

"'Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope.' I don't think she'd like to continue that sentence with 'Please knock up my daughter.'"

"I knew there was a clinker in this whole relationship. Leia will definitely not like it."

"Don't worry, I've got Han working on the idea. Mara is working on Luke."

"Han knows? Why hasn't he shot me?"

"Han had a deep dislike of Kyp and his groping ways. He likes you. You always could endear smuggler types. Now, go get her."

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Jaina smoothed her outfit down. Apparently, Master Yoda had risqué taste in women's clothing. A blue leather skirt and boots with a white halter top was not what she had had in mind at the beginning of her journey through her closet.

She had been embarrassed enough when Mara insisted she buy them. Never had she conceived of wearing the outfit in an actual public place. She heard the doorbell ring and she hurried to open it.

Obi-Wan stood outside dressed in, what else, a tunic, leggings, belt, boots and a robe. Jaina was about to make a sarcastic comment when her brain caught up with her eyes. Obi-Wan was grinning at her. He was grinning, and he had dimples. He also has a very adorable cleft in his chin.

"You shaved."

Obi-Wan's eyes raked over her. "I thought it fitting."

Jaina cleared her throat. "Should we go then?"

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Obi-Wan grinned at Jaina's reaction to the diner they had entered. Despite being in a seedy section of Coruscant, it appeared fairly clean.

"You know, Obi-Wan, I was sort of thinking you were going to take me somewhere, special."

"This is special. Just don't eat anything exotic."

Annoyance filtered across her features. "You obviously have never been on a date before." She muttered under her breath.

Obi-Wan ignored her and waved to someone back in the kitchen.

"Jaina, this place is very special to me. I've been coming to this establishment since I was thirteen. I've always found good friends and good help here. Is it too much to ask that you give it a try?"

Guilt crept across her features for a second. Then enlightenment dawned. "YOU planned this! You wanted to see how I would react to being taken to a place like this."

"Jaina, love, I always plan. It's a habit even Qui-Gon couldn't break me of. Now, sit down and order something that sounds normal."

She shot him an irate look and sat down.

By the end of the meal, she was in a much better mood. Obi-wan had regaled her with tales of Didi and Astri, then stories of Dexter. She smiled, Dexter's grandson now ran the business and had taken the same liking to Obi-Wan that the previous owner's had.

As they walked out of the diner, Jaina sighed. She really didn't want to end the evening this soon. 

Obi-Wan picked up on her sentiment. "You know," he said, "I know this great little bar where was could go."

"Is it like your diner over there?"

"Nope. It's seedier."

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Jaina giggled as Obi-Wan fumbled with his pass code for the room. They had both had too much to drink. Fortunately, they also had too much money thanks to the fact that Jaina had won a nightly dart game and Obi-Wan had won a monthly pool game.

She really couldn't believe how much alcohol Obi-wan had downed in one night. Then again, she couldn't remember why she had drunk so much either. All she really could recall at the moment was that she had already called in sick for her duty shift tomorrow.

Thankfully, when Obi-Wan suggested they walk to a hotel instead of driving home, he had chosen a rather nice one instead of keeping with the seedy theme.

The door swooshed open, and Obi-Wan gestured her grandly into the room and followed her.

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*Smarmy Grin* How's that for a cliffhanger?


	30. The Day after

First chap = disclaimers

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Jaina woke up to the most annoying buzz in her head. The buzz quickly escalated to a rhythmic pounding consistent with her heart beat. Her stomach rebelled as she opened her eyes to a bright light filtering through the window. Quickly dispelling the idea of using the Force to quiet her stomach, she used it to fins the bathroom instead.

  She moaned as she rinsed her mouth out. Getting drunk was not good. Absently, she rubbed her arms against the chill her body was experiencing. A frown marred her features. She never felt chilled when she had had a hangover before. Oh Sith. Was her only thought.

 Her muddled brain started functioning. She was naked. Nervously, she peeked out of the bathroom and back at the bed. From what she could see, Obi-Wan was also naked. That generally corroborated with what she remembered of last night.

Gingerly, she approached the bed grabbing Obi-Wan's cloak to cover herself as she neared. Deciding to speed up the inevitable, she nudged Obi-Wan with the Force. Blue-green eyes snapped open immediately.

"Jaina?" His voice was tired but it did not hold the sick tone she had expected.

"Hi"

"Hello" Obi-Wan's face twisted into a half grin. "How do you feel?"

"Sick. Sick and a little confused."

"Poor thing, why don't you come over here, and I'll see what I can do about your headache?"

"Don't you think we should talk about this before rushing into something like that again?"

"You want to talk while you have a hangover? Wouldn't this be easier with a clear head?"

Jaina frowned. "That wasn't a come on?"

Obi-Wan looked properly mortified at the thought. "It was an offer to teach a healing technique. No hanky panky involved."

Jaina blushed. "I'm sorry it's just that…"

"I know all about guys and their hormonal systems. Believe me if I had any intention of ravishing you again, I would have already tackled you."

"I'm sorry."

"What for now?"

"This isn't something you wanted. I took advantage of you."

Obi-Wan frowned. "I hardly thought my response indicated that I was unwilling."

"You were drunk."

"So were you, and I have been drunk before. I never did anything like this."

"See, I seduced you."

"Oh, for pity's sake Jaina, virginity is not all that it's cracked up to be."

Jaina's eyes widened, a fact that did not help her headache. "You were a virgin?"

"Um, yes?"

"I can't believe this. I took advantage of the Great Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, while he was drunk, and I stole his virginity."

"I feeling vaguely insulted, and I'm not sure why. Look if it makes you feel better, it's a hell of a notch for your bedpost. I've had women throw themselves at me before, Jaina. And they were very accomplished seductresses."

"You wanted to?"

Obi-Wan found the bedspread fascinating all of a sudden. "Yes, even Jedi Masters get horny."

"So I'm feeling bad because I seduced you, and you're feeling bad because you wanted to get some nookie?"

Obi-Wan laughed. "Oh, we make a great pair. This is like my first few years as Qui-Gon's apprentice. We kept blaming ourselves for everything and not talking to each other. Well, except, there was no sex with Qui-Gon. 'Cause he was my father figure and I was thirteen and…"

"Obi-Wan, you ramble when you're embarrassed. How about that headache technique?"

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Obi-Wan hurried down the path way towards his scheduled meeting with Luke. Taking Jaina out for breakfast was the correct thing to do, but it had put him behind.

"Obi-Wan" A voice rang through the hallway. Obi-Wan stopped immediately, something in the tone calling to his inner padawan.

Qui-Gon stepped beside him. "Where were you last night?"

"I was out, you know that."

"Yes, but you were also gone all night. I had charge of Binks remember? I went to let him in your room, and you weren't there."

"Well, I was sort of out all night, and half the morning too."

Qui-Gon's eyebrows rose. "On your first date, ever?"

"I got carried away; we did stuff."

"Believe me, I know what you mean. Spare me the details."

"You were the one who thought I needed to loosen up."

"Loosening up is a touch different than screwing on the first date. Is Jaina alright with this?"

Obi-Wan smiled. Qui-Gon had reverted into protective Master mode. It didn't happen often, but when it did it was frightening to all who dared approach.

"She is fine, Master. We had a very long talk about it. At the moment, I think she's starting to plot what type of ring she wants."

"That is a touch fast, and a touch in the future."

"Not for her family. Anakin proposed to Padme when he was nine. Now, would you please drop the 'I'm going to kill the first person that touches my Padawan look'?"

Qui-Gon smiled and left Obi-Wan to his meeting.

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Jaina snuck into the apartment. She really did not want to get caught wearing yesterday's crumpled outfit.

"Hey, there"

Jaina froze. This could be worse than her mother. "Hi, Lando, what are you doing here?"

"Waiting for your dad and Chewie. What happened to you?"

Sith, the man wasn't a Jedi, but he wasn't an idiot in perception.

"I got into a small bar fight."

"In the middle of the morning?"

"I was in a questionable area, looking for information."

Lando eyed her. "You don't exactly have a lot of underground contacts."

"Are you questioning me?"

"Nope, I'm telling you that you look like Han when he lies."

"Look, Lando, you're like an uncle to me. Don't tell Mom please?"

Lando grinned. "I can tell your dad?"

Jaina rolled her eyes. "Fine."

"Fine?"

"Yeah, Dad won't kill him. Mom might find a way though."

Lando grinned. "Who was the lucky guy?"

"That is none of your business." Jaina turned and flounced off to her room.

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Lando grinned as he waited for the news to sink into Han's brain. He loved nothing better than having the upper hand over his 'Old Buddy.' The response he got was not what he expected.

"Yes! I'm going tot go order the paint now." 

"Han, have you flipped your lid?" Lando felt genuinely worried that the news had warped the man's psych.

"I won the pool. I just knew that old man couldn't keep his hands to himself. He might deny it, but he's got too much scoundrel in him to keep away from her."

"You bet on your daughter sleeping with someone?"

"Hey, I bet on when Luke would hit the sack with Mara. What's the difference?"

"She's your daughter."

"It gave me an inside track. Besides, it was a specific someone she was with. Everyone thought that Kenobi would have to be beaten senseless before he did anything. When you have odds like that, and you know you can't lose, why would I not bet?"

"Han, just when I think they've converted you, you come back with a vengeance."

"(Let us hope he doesn't come back with a black eye when Jaina finds out.)" Chewie observed.

Lando laughed. "Too true. Well then, why don't we go see if we can start collecting on that bet?"

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Qui-Gon watched Mace Windu pace. Mace never paced. Somehow, that made Qui-Gon perversely glad that he was.

"You realize that the New Order does not signal the end of the world?"

"It signals that there are no more Jedi. What about the Code, Qui-Gon?"

"I see nothing in their behavior that goes against the Code, only your rather limited view of it."

"Have you so easily forgotten that it was your particular view of the Code that caused the downfall of the Order in the first place?"

"Uncalled for, that was. Unfounded, it also was. Know what Palpatine would have done without Anakin, we do not. Know that train Anakin solely in evil without Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, we do not."

Qui-Gon smiled as Yoda came to his defense.

"Master Yoda is right, Mace. There are endless possibilities when you consider what could have happened. Unfortunately, we cannot change what did happen. We must work in the here and now. These new Jedi can learn so much from us, and I think that we can also learn from them."

"I take it that this is the opinion you have fostered into Kenobi?"

"Obi-Wan makes his own judgments."

"Qui-Gon, you have had plenty of time to reinforce your views into him."

Anger flared quickly in Jinn's eyes before he quelled it into the Force. "Obi-Wan has no opinion but his own on important matters. You and I know that he has never hesitated to disagree with me."

Mace shook his head. "A point I must concede. Obi-Wan is not easily swayed to anyone's point of view."

"Inflexible, you have always been, Master Windu. But learn you can. Excuse me, you must. Collecting money I am from bets I have made. Solo, wise he is."

"You bet on something?" Mace asked incredulous.

Qui-Gon sighed. "Master Yoda seeks not the money, but rather the fame in this instance."

"Yes, yes. Unbecoming of a Jedi both are, but indulge every 100 years or so, I must. Payment, I require, Master Jinn."

Qui-Gon heaved a theatrical sigh and produced a credit chip. Mace's eyebrows raised.

"What was this bet on?"

"Tell you, Qui-Gon will. Perverse pleasure, he will no doubt take in it."

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Obi-Wan swallowed hard as he waited for the door to open. He was dreading this, but he knew he needed to be the one to inform.

Anakin opened his door. "Master, come on in. What brings you here?"

"Anakin, I feel that there is something you should hear before others begin to talk."

"You're gay aren't you?"

"WHAT?"

"Well, it's just that Ani used to say there were dreadful rumors floating around the Temple…"

"I am not gay. Rather the opposite, in fact."

"Oh well, then what's the big news?"

"I slept with your sister."

"I know that. Everyone knows that."

"I mean I took her to a motel room, and we broke the bedside table lamp."

Anakin's eyes widened. "But you, but she, but…EWWWW."

"I was under the impression that you approved of me 'branching out.'"

"Yeah, but you're my father figure and Jaina's my sister. I mean, I knew you two had a thing between you, but I was kind of hoping I could ignore it like when my parents, you know. Now, you've totally ruined my illusion that you can't have anything more than a platonic relationship."

Obi-Wan smirked. "I'm old, and it's gross?"

"Something like that. Except, you aren't really old physically, and I do want you to be happy."

"But, you are not fundamentally opposed to my relationship?"

"Hey, I helped set you two up. I just thought I'd have time to adjust to each level of your relationship. I was sort of anticipating meditating on you kissing her, not taking her to some swanky hotel and making love."

"Actually, it was sort of a seedy bar then a semi-reputable motel."

"And I needed to know those details? Look, Master, I'm glad you've found happiness, but could you let me adjust first?"

"Of course, Anakin. I just thought you should hear it from me."

"Believe me, I am grateful. I don't think Qui-Gon would have enjoyed me calling him a liar."


	31. Discussions

First chap = disclaimers

Apparently the last chapter raised some questions. First off, when I wrote the last chapter, I did not think that it seemed to rank an R rating. It was admittedly a touch more crass than normal, but the last chapter is as far as I go in that area. If you think that I should change the rating for that chapter, feel free to tell me and I will.

Secondly, I did not mean to imply that Jaina is pregnant. She was sick because she had gotten drunk. Even if she was pregnant, she would not have morning sickness for at least a couple of weeks. 

Chapter 29 mentioned children, but that was just in reference to something way in the future after marriage and the white picket fence deal.

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Leia sat across from her father. A tired smile crossed her face as he raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

"Things must be bad on the outside if you are actually enjoying seeing me," Ani observed.

"The deployment of the Jedi teams has been stressful to say the least. Between arranging support and helping to assist the movement, I think I've aged several years. Running the Rebellion was easier in some ways."

Ani nodded. "I hear that the military refused to dispatch Rogue Squadron."

"A fact that the entire squadron is currently howling about, I can assure you. But there is not much that you can do when the people that fund you say you need to be there for the protection of the people."

Ani snorted. "More like the protection of greedy senators. How is Jaina taking the separation?"

"Oh, she is taking it well. She is jealous that he got to go I think, but she has accepted it."

"Well, he is more important to the operation than Jaina is."

Leia's eyes widened. "I don't think I would put those types of qualifiers on two people."

"Leia, no offense, but I'd really rather have him beside me in a fight than Jaina. Their experience is totally different. Jaina does not have all that much structured battle experience, nor does she have the leadership experience."

"I don't agree. Jaina's experience could be more valuable in certain situations."

Ani rolled his eyes. "Okay, maybe she'd be better in a space battle, but really that whole 'I hate flying' thing is just an act."

Leia's face scrunched for a second. "I don't think that we are talking about the same thing. Who is 'he'?"

"Obi-Wan, who else?"

"I thought you were asking about Jacen. Why would you ask about Obi-Wan? He and Jaina are not particularly close."

"What do you mean they aren't particularly close? Last I checked they were…"

"They were what?"

"Um, really into battle strategies."

"You're a terrible liar. How did you ever hide your marriage vows?"

"Avoidance."

"Well, it won't work with me. What was it you thought my daughter was doing with Kenobi?"

"Nothing, I swear."

"Nothing? Why do I find that hard to believe?"

"Leia, maybe this is something to discuss with Jaina yourself. That's what Han did. I mean…"

"Han knows something about this? What? Is Kenobi trying to talk Jaina into studying the Old Jedi ways? Leave the Republic? Become a Senator?"

"No, I think Jaina was persuading him to try out a couple facets of the New Order."

Leia's face went white. "Tell me you don't mean what I think you mean. Tell me my daughter is not dating a man old enough to be her great-grandfather."

"Well… Hey! Did I tell you that I built C3PO?"

"My Baby is dating the crusty old hermit from Tattooine? AND HAN KNEW?"

"Isn't Anakin your Baby?"

"That's another thing. He raised my son. She's dating her bother's stepfather. Her name will be plastered on tabloids forever."

"Hey, I think it is romantic."

"You also think that broken power converters are works of art. I can't believe no-one told me."

"Maybe they thought you would react like you are right now."

"For a man trained in diplomacy, you lack large quantities of tact."

"For a Princess who married a smuggler, you lack compassion for nontraditional relationships. Han is what, thirteen years older than you?"

"I don't think you're going to help matters. You are obviously on their side."

"Who's side?"

"Obi-Wan's, Han's, etcetera, etcetera."

"Everyone who knew before you and supports the relationship?"

"Oh, you're incorrigible."

 Leia pushed herself away from the table and stalked out, leaving a laughing Ani in her wake.  She was halfway back to her speeder when she stopped in her tracks.

"Did he say that he built Threepio?"

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Jaina sighed as she swirled the remains of her tea around in her cup. She did not know what was worse. The fact that she could not go on the mission, or the fact that she was already missing Obi-Wan.

A salmon colored head tilted in her direction. "Obi-Wan get you hooked on that?"

Jaina smiled. Bant had volunteered to stay behind. She had always done well as a fighter pilot, but she was not familiar with the current systems. Consequently, Bant had agreed to help on the diplomatic front.

"You know, I hated tea. I don't know how he got me to drink it. One moment, I was a normal caf swilling space jockey, the next thing I know, I'm sipping tea and contemplating the nature of life."

Bant nodded in sympathy. "Qui-Gon infected Obi-Wan, one moment my best friend was drinking soda with the rest of us. The next moment, he was talking about the perfect steeping temperature. Of course, Master Yoda would say that we should always be contemplating the nature of life."

Jaina laughed. "Oh, I know I'm not the stellar Jedi I should be. Apparently, the only person that fits that billing is Windu."

Bant closed her eyes. "You don't care for Master Windu."

"That wasn't a question. That was a statement, and unfortunately, it is true. The man is totally inflexible."

"It can be good for him to be inflexible in certain areas. It is better than being too loose."

Jaina sighed and nodded. Her eyes widened. "Did you feeling that?"

Bant's eyes glazed over. "There is a slight disturbance over by the parking area."

Jaina's face fell. "That isn't a disturbance. That is my mother."

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(A few lightyears away)

Luke sighed as their transport drew ever closer to Kamino. He had foolishly hoped that after the Empire, he would not have to engage in this type of all scale battle again. It did not help that he was lonely. Mara had reluctantly agreed to stay behind with little Ben and take charge of the Jedi.

A gentle scraping of a boot on the deckplate shook Luke from his musings. Qui-Gon stood a few steps behind him staring out at the same blurred lines of hyperspace.

"This I am used to. I spent most of my life hopping from planet to planet. The occasional ferry from Coruscant to Yavin IV pales in comparison."

Luke smiled. "I spent most of my life wishing I was planet hopping. When I got my wish, part of me wanted to run screaming back to Tattooine."

Qui-Gon smiled. "Ah, I suppose it was overwhelming. One moment you are dreaming of being a starfighter, the next you are the last hope for the Jedi and peace." 

 "I think that I was too young to realize the full implication back then. That was a good thing. I don't think that I would be able to become a self-study Jedi now."

"Thus why the council liked time limits. It is much harder to discipline yourself as you age."

"Master Jinn?"

"Yes?"

"When this is all over, I am going to organize a new council. The system I have now works well, but I think that we need something more permanent than the debate of head Masters and Knights."

"A wise decision, but why does this concern me?"

"I think it would be wise to include Masters from the Old Order as well as the New. Yoda was an obvious choice as was Obi-Wan. I thought you might neatly round out the selection."

"Me? I never made it onto my own council. I'm too reckless."

"That is exactly why we need you. The old council failed because it became too mired in itself. In an odd way, Callista has given us a second chance to reclaim what we had and improve upon it. The council needs to be truly balanced. I believe that you could help us achieve this goal."

Qui-Gon smirked. "I am not certain I am tempered for such a position."

Luke shook his head. "If you don't agree, Obi-Wan swore he would come and make you see reason."

"Obi-Wan always did want to see me locked up in a safe little debating room."

"That is the point. The council will have to be different now. No more sitting around and talking to politicians. We need to understand our people."

"You drive a hard bargain. Agreed then. Assuming I make it through the coming battle, I will be honored to be on the council. If nothing else, it will frost the butts off any Jedi that make it through Callista."


	32. Fights of Love and War

First chap = disclaimers

Short Chapter. Too tired to make it longer.

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 Leia Organa Solo stared at her daughter as she stalked towards the table that Jaina sat at. Jaina's company only served to infuriate Leia. Obi-Wan had apparently infiltrated her choice of friends too.

Jaina's brown eyes focused on her mother's. Fiery stubbornness shown on both ends. Bant quietly observed debating the wisdom of breaking up a fight between two people highly gifted in the Force.

"Mother," Jaina's tone stated her question and her defiance.

"Why didn't you tell me? Do you realize what this will mean?"

"What what will mean? Force forbid I should ever fall in love with a man that doesn't cheat on me or have an enormous ego or have a rap sheet longer than Lando's."

"Jaina, he is almost old enough to be your great-grandfather. Let alone the other ties he has to your family. You will be stuck on tabloid headlines for the rest of your life!"

"I'd probably be there anyway. I don't see why I can't be happy while I'm there."

"And you're so proud of your relationship that you couldn't tell your own mother?"

"As you well know, most of my family knew. In fact, most of my family set me up with him. I didn't tell you because I figured you would react exactly how you're reacting now. I ought to be glad Obi-Wan is away right now. Otherwise you'd probably embarrass yourself by trying to threaten him."

"Are you so blinded that you can't see his faults?

"Being older isn't a fault, Mother. Neither is being who he is. A fault is the fact that he has problems with the Living Force or his sugar addiction both of which you probably weren't aware of."

"He is taking over your life! Look at the company you're keeping."

"Bant? Oh yes, she might cause me to take a swim in sea water. Perhaps I should find a sleazy smuggler to hang around like my mother did."

"That was highly uncalled for."

"Probably, but it is the truth. Or have you nicely forgotten all those years fighting in the Rebellion? Have you forgotten what Dad was before he met up with Uncle Luke and Obi-Wan?"

"My past does not reflect on what you are doing now!"

"Senator," Bant began, "perhaps if you are concerned about the tabloids, you should not be arguing at a public café."

Leia frowned and assented the point. "Very well. We will continue this later."

"I don't doubt it." Jaina muttered as Leia walked away.

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Anakin Skywalker shivered as he walked into the courtroom. His trial had been moved to an undisclosed asteroid to avoid public frenzy and protests. Reporter droids were stationed all around the courtroom simul-casting to the Republic and the remnants of the Empire.

Various senators and dignitaries from each government were there. Tenel Ka sat as the only representative of Hapes. Han and Leia sat next to Mara as representatives of Ani's family. Bant had also come as the support of the Jedi Order.

It was his fifth day of trial. Opening statements had been done, witnesses had been called and had testified. Objections and rebuttals had been bantered about. All Ani knew was that he was hopelessly lost and figured that the jury was as well.

Absently, Ani fingered the Force inhibitor that surrounded his neck. His eye caught Bant's, and she gave him a small smile, or what passed for a small smile as far as a Mon Calamari was concerned. They both knew that a small inhibitor like that would never hold the Chosen One if he did not wish to be held.

They were about halfway through the day's arguments when it happened. The doors to the courtroom flew open. A dozen "Jedi" came streaming through the door, lightsabers blazing. They moved towards the Empire representatives ignoring the fleeing members of the Republic.

The guards fired, but to no avail. Their shots were deflected back. Mara swung into action as she produced a lightsaber that she had hidden when checked for weapons. Similarly, Han mysteriously held a blaster, but he did not fire. It would be futile to give your enemy a shot to reflect back at you.

Ani crawled along the floor until he reached the place where Tenel Ka had crouched next to Leia and Bant.

"We cannot defeat them with only the Force and we have few weapons," Tenel Ka succinctly surmised.

Bant's eyes were slightly glassy. "I think it's worse than that. Did you see who's leading them Ani?"

"Tall guy, Blue eyes, long black hair…oh."

Bant nodded. "If memory serves, that is Xanatos."

"Joy."

"Who's Xanatos?" Leia asked over the din.

"Someone you don't want to meet, sweetheart," Ani replied, "However, I think that I can remedy this situation."

"You are not giving yourself to him," Leia hissed.

"Didn't know you cared," Ani smirked, "But, you needn't worry. Just don't get scared."

Leia's confusion mounted as Ani stood straight up a Force inhibitor suddenly open in his hand instead of clasped around his neck. Ani's eyes fluttered closed. With a deep breath, he flicked his wrist towards the oncoming "Jedi."

All twelve of them slammed back against the wall. As the screaming citizens ran in the opposite direction, Ani gazed at the floor. The tiles where the attackers were standing began to buck and twist under them. The ceiling began to give way as it crashed down.

Astonished eyes looked at Ani. 

"That will not hold them for long. It will be best if we move to transports as quickly as possible," Ani's voice came out surreally calm.

Han's eyes darted to the pile of rubble that was imperceptibly starting to shift.

"You sure they aren't dead?"

"Very," Ani held no argument.

"I'm not willing to second guess," Leia said, "Everyone else is running to transport. I think we should follow."

"Agreed," Tenel Ka spoke.

Without another word, the remaining six people dashed out to the landing platform and got aboard the _Falcon. _


	33. Escape and Confrontation

First chap = disclaimer

My apologies for the late posting, job hunting takes up too much of my time. As a result, my fics do not get updated.

Okay, this is finally going to be coming to an end in a few chapters. I'd like to thank all of my reviewers past and present. Especially those like Cammy who have stuck through this whole thing.

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Ani growled in frustration as the _Falcon _took off. Xanatos and his merry party of "Jedi" had already recuperated and were starting their pursuit. If Ani's memory served, the _Falcon_ would inevitably have some problem that would make escape difficult. With a determined clip to his stride, he went up to the cockpit. He made no sound as he slipped into the co-pilots chair where Chewie usually sat.

Han glanced up once but said nothing. Mara had noticed the movement and slipped quietly to one Gun turret while Bant went to the other.

Leia and Tenel Ka sat down Behind Ani and Han in the cockpit.

"I hope that Kenobi didn't exaggerate your piloting skills." Leia stated as the first enemy ship streaked by.

"Obi-Wan never exaggerates. He just says thing from a certain point of view, and his view on this subject is correct, if a little understated."

"Smugness is not an attractive quality in a warrior." Tenel Ka observed.

"No, but self-assurance is. And I've never met a ship that didn't like me."

A strained silence occurred as the first ship began firing at them. Wile Han flew his ship, Ani quietly assumed the tasks of the co-pilot. The Force pulsed around him as he struggled to reach the point of harmony that Chewie always had when flying with Han.

Ani dimly heard the sound of blaster firing as he and Han maneuvered the ship. What they needed to do was get the _Falcon_ to a place where they could jump to hyperspace without running into any other ships or planets etc. Unfortunately, that was not an easy task.

As a ship exploded off of their bow, Ani's brain automatically wondered who they hot shot down. What former Jedi had just been killed?

He shook his head imperceptibly. It did not matter. Later was the time to grieve. Now was the time to focus on staying alive.

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Luke frowned as they went over the final battle plans. "I'm not sure that I like the idea of being in charge of the space battle. I have a lot more experience taking care of Callista than you do, Ben."

"That may be true, but I did not make it through the Clone Wars for my ability to prevaricate. Luke, there are going to be hundreds of well trained Jedi on that planet. You know how one fights. I will know the skills of many on sight. That will be an advantage. You, on the other hand, are the best pilot we have. You are familiar with the ships we own. You have squadron experience. The plan makes the most sense as it is."

Luke sighed, "I know it is just that…"

"You feel that you are at fault for Callista and should be the one to fight her?" Qui-Gon interjected his voice into the conversation.

Luke looked at Qui-Gon then at Obi-Wan, "I don't know how the Council handled to two of you."

"We took headache medication and sent them away as often as possible," Mace replied.

"Yes, well the headache medication was the result of your brain attempting to think logically instead of politically, Mace," Qui-Gon shot back.

"Enough of this prattle. Concentrate on the Force, you should. Dangerous this mission will be."

"A fact that we are all aware of, I assure you Master Yoda," Kyp commented from where he was sulking. He was even less fond of the fact that he would be in the space battle instead of the ground battle than Luke was.

Yoda merely nodded, "Division we cannot have. Fight amongst ourselves we cannot until finished this battle is."

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(an hour or so later)

Anakin sighed as he began the fifth Kata. It normally helped to clear his mind, but today it did little but aggravate him as he attempted the movements. A soft whisper issued into the small practice room as a visitor entered.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but isn't the purpose of those exercises to build gracefulness?" Jacen asked as he observed Anakin.

Anakin stopped, "Even the best trained are sometimes unbalanced. What is it you want, Jacen?"

"Your 'Master' sent me to check on you. Apparently, he doesn't think you can quite look at him right now."

A faint blush crept onto Anakin's face, "Um, yeah, I'm still kinda having problems with the whole Jaina thing."

Jacen sighed, "Tell me about it. But, I think that Obi-Wan wanted me to talk to you about something else."

"What?" Anakin's voice didn't sound all that questioning.

"Anakin, your connection to the Force is somewhat, shall I say, strained. Obi-Wan is concerned about sending you into battle when you're unbalanced."

Anakin frowned, "I know, I just don't know what is causing it. I'm not angry, and I've done all of the exercises to center myself."

Jacen looked at his brother's face, "Anakin, Obi-Wan has a theory about what it might be. Under the current circumstance with Jaina, he felt that he couldn't tell you. Apparently, he thinks that you've developed a working bond with Tahiri, and it isn't quite complete."

Anakin's eyebrows knit together, "For as little time as Tahiri and I have known each other, a working bond would be extremely rare. They usually only form between Knights or Masters that have worked together for long periods of time or have become lovers."

"I thought that Tahiri was your girlfriend."

"She is, but working bonds require a very deep level of intimate intellectual contact. The old Masters theorized that a part of your soul was shared or some such nonsense."

"So you have to be to that stage where you finish each other's sentences and dress alike without knowing?"

"I supposed that is a way to put it, although, dressing alike isn't that special when you're a Jedi."

Jacen nodded, "I get it. The question is, how do you stabilize this bond?"

Anakin smiled, "Actually, all we need to do is meditate together and smooth out the ripples in the Force between us. An unconscious bond causes your connection to the Force to malfunction. You haven't acknowledged its presence, so your mind automatically attempts to shield itself for the invading contact."

Jacen sighed, "I hate it when you morph into a solemn Jedi on me. When I came in here, you were my fumbling little brother. Now you're spouting about theories on intricacies in the Force."

"A burden you must bear. However, I do thank you for your assistance," Anakin said in mock pompous tone.

Jacen laughed, "Get going and go meditate and whatever with Tahiri."

"I think I shall, good Sir."

With that, Anakin left. Jacen shook his head. It was a perverse thing to be happy about, but it was nice to know the "old school" Jedi were not as all seeing as they thought.


	34. Bonding and Fighting

First chapter = disclaimers

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Anakin paused before he knocked tentatively on Tahiri's door. A soft "Come in" encouraged him to slip quietly into her room.

"Anakin, what are you doing here?"

"Tahiri, we need to talk. Have you ever heard about a working bond?"

"Of course, I know all about them."

"You do?" Anakin was incredulous.

"Of course, Master Jinn stopped by about an hour ago to talk to me."

"Those two… honestly, they plan everything together."

"I was under the impression that that was what made Master Kenobi and Master Jinn a formidable team."

Anakin shook his head, "No, what makes them formidable is that they fight constantly but always back each other up. You never know exactly what they'll do, but you're never truly surprised when they do it."

Tahiri smiled, "Is that what we are going to be like?"

Anakin shook his head again, "Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon don't make out it the back seats of speeders."

"They prefer the front seats?"

"Ewww, that is such a bad visual image. That's worse than thinking about Mom and Dad, you know…"

Tahiri giggled then paused before she spoke, "Anakin, are you nervous?"

"A little. I'd prefer to have tested out this bond before rushing into battle with it."

"Our preferences are rarely met in our lives. We must accept what we get and plan for the future."

"You talked to Master Mace."

"How did you know?"

"That is the exact same quote that he gave Obi-Wan when Master Qui-Gon died."

"Thank you for casting such happy aspersions on our upcoming bonding."

Anakin gave his girlfriend a peck on the cheek, "Forgive me?"

"Always."

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Leia closed her eyes and breathed deeply. They were safe in her apartment on Coruscant. As safe as they could be given the general state of chaos reigning. Five assassination attempts, not including the attack on Ani's trial, had occurred in a twenty-four hour period.

Mara sat with Ben on her lap. Jaina stood behind her, having come directly to the apartment after her duty shift was over. Chewie had greeted them as they landed. He'd alternately growled at Han for getting the ship damaged and told them the horrible news of the attacks.

Ani paced around the room, "This is it. We need to attack these people. _I need to attack. You won't be able to handle Xanatos and a band of fully trained Jedi. Not alone. Hopefully, Luke and Obi-Wan will begin their mission in time to stop reinforcements from coming, but the ones who are here now are more than enough trouble."_

Leia shook her head, "You'll just end up causing divisions in the effort."

"Leia, look around you. These are the same people Palpatine took over. Do you really think they can think up how to defeat a group of Jedi? They needed me to defeat one Sith. And the only reason that worked was because of Luke."

"He's right," Han's voice came from beside Leia, "Maybe you high flyin' Force users didn't notice, but he just caused a localized earthquake. I call that impressive here in "Non-gifted-ville." Who do you think should head this up? Luke's gone, so is Old Ben Kenobi."

Tenel-Ka nodded with support to Han, "My people will follow Ani's lead. We were attacked, and we had nothing to do with either the Republic or the Empire. It is their wish for conflict to be over as quickly as possible. Ani is our best hope."

Mara grinned, "Not to mention the fact that it will look great on his trial."

"It will look terrible if he fails," Leia spoke softly.

Ani's eyes widened as he realized that Leia was actually worried about him, "Leia, if I fail I'll be dead, but I'll have taken them with me. If I don't fight, the casualty numbers will be higher. The Order was established to defend and edify the Republic. I think it is about time we did that."

Leia sighed and nodded, "I will speak with the Department of Defense and see what we can get. I'm sure there are some people who have changed their minds about the Callista problem after today's attacks."

"Has anyone attempted to contact Uncle Luke and the attack force?" Jaina queried.

Leia nodded, "We sent out a message, but I don't think we should look for help from them. They need to cut off the supply of troops. Our current problem is miniscule in comparison."

Mara snorted, "And we thought 'Rebellion Leia' had disappeared for good."

Ani grinned, "Well I'm a poor substitute for Luke, I know, but if Leia, Han and Luke could blow up a Deathstar, I think we can handle a bunch of unruly Jedi."

Bant glanced up, "We hope."

Ani's grin faltered, "Yeah, we hope."

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Luke gritted his teeth as he flew out of the way of a blast of fire. They had engaged in battle a scant fifteen minutes ago. The transports were still landing, and his job was to keep them safe. Unfortunately, Jedi pilots were harder to fight than normal ones. The amount of Force energy he had used in the last fifteen minutes was phenomenal. 

Since before he married Mara, he had used most of his connection with the Force to guide him in meditation or concentrate on the will of the Force. Now he felt like the old Luke, fresh off the farm and swinging the Force around like a club. In a way, it was exhilarating to loose himself in the fighting. He dimly wondered, as he often did, what Old Ben would think of his actions. With a rueful smile, he realized that he would actually have the opportunity to ask once this fight was over. Assuming, of course, that they both lived.

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Anakin closed his eyes as a brush of wind flew by his cheek. At least he told himself it was just wind. It would be much more disconcerting if he actually admitted that it was the slash of an enemy lightsaber.

Tahiri swung and dismembered the arm of Anakin's attacker.

"Ah, Kenobi 101, how to hack of arms," Siri's voice sounded as she  came in from the other side.

Anakin grinned, "Tahiri is a quick learner." He stopped to plunge his lightsaber into a security monitor.

Siri nodded, "Speaking of Kenobi, he just radioed, the last of the invasion force is on the ground. We can start the attack on the main compound now."

"Joy. Well, let us move onward," Anakin said in his best pompous voice.

Tahiri gave his arm a squeeze as they began to run towards the east section of the cloning facilities, "Hey, be fatalistic after we win. It will be easier to deal with."

Anakin grinned, "Agreed."

Siri snorted, "As long as you're at it, be love birds after we win too. We've got some Jedi to free in there. Do you have the extra lightsabers?"

Tahiri nodded, "We distributed them in the transport on the way down as planned. Everyone's got an extra clipped on their belts. Hopefully, the brainwashing room is in the same place that you remember it."

"And hopefully," Anakin continued, "they'll be in fighting condition."

"And on our side," Siri finished the thought.

Tahiri grinned and they met the first wave of resistance, "Well, never let it be said we're not optimistic."


	35. Jaina's duel

First chap = disclaimers.

Thanks to Lynx who prodded me to write this next chapter. It actually turned out a touch longer than anticipated, so the scenes dealing with the others got pushed into the next chapter.

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Jaina shivered as she walked into the building that housed mother's apartment. The others were all gone. Ani was leading a rampage on the invading forces that had come from Callista. They had captured four Jedi so far and killed another ten. All in the four days since the attack on Ani's trial.

Leia had succeeded in rousing support for independent strike teams of fighters to swarm over the hidden bases that the rogue Jedi had established in Republic borders. Those bases had been conveniently hidden by paid off politicians who thought that they could benefit from a slight regime change.

It explained a great deal about the resistance of the Senate to go against Callista. All this time they had thought that it was disbelief about the return of General Ben Kenobi, only to find out that it was greed and stupidity. The mere thought made her sick.

On the other hand, Leia was happier than Jaina had seen her in years. Jaina finally realized that her mother was a warrior, just not the warrior that Luke was. Leia was a sneaky diplomat who would always be willing to heft a blaster or lightsaber for the right cause. Flushing out corrupt politicians was what the Force seemed to have in store for Princess Leia.

Apparently, the Force had babysitting in store for Jaina Solo. Being one of the best and the brightest pilots, she had been stationed to protect Coruscant. Callista's Jedi had proven that they could and would attack anywhere and any time. The Republic needed Rogue Squadron at home, so home they stayed.

Jaina stalked into the lift and punched in her mother's floor. Han, Chewie and Mara were out digging up information in places Jaina would rather not know about. Leia was working late on coordinating defense plans for the Republic, the Empire and Hapes. Bant was giving lecture to various militaries on how to fight a Jedi. Tenel Ka was at her home helping to orchestrate their defense tactics. 

And, Ani… Ani was off doing Force knew what. He had borrowed the fastest ship he could pilot and taken off with a lightsaber and more restraining devices than a Hutt slave trader. Of the Jedi captured, he had caught three of the live ones and killed eight of the dead ones. 

The other live one had surprisingly been Leia's prisoner. The Jedi, Garen, Jaina thought the name was, had sneaked up behind the Senator while she was getting a cup of tea. The Force apparently flowed very strongly through Leia when she was surprised. She had Force shoved the guy against the wall and proceeded to give him a concussion with her metal teapot.

With all of the activities of the other members of the family, Jaina was left to take care of Little Ben tonight. Unconsciously, she stared into the small mirror in the lift. Her hair was rumpled. Her flight suit stained from soup being spilled on it. She had been too tired to change out of her fatigues when she got off of her flight duty and had decided to eat lunch with it on. That had been a mistake.

Curling her lip in disgust, she got off of the lift and went to the door. Ben would no doubt be happy to spend time with her instead of his nanny droid and C3PO.

Her brow furrowed in concern as she reached the door. Something did not feel…right. The feeling of the darkside snaked out towards her. Instantly, she held her saber in her palm, but she did not ignite it. 

She quietly reached out to the door panel and hit the manual button. A display panel emerged allowing her to key in a slow opening for the door. Instead of whooshing open, they parted only enough for her to slip through the crack and did so much quieter than normal.

As she entered the apartment, she realized that she was indeed correct in her warnings from the Force. The nanny droid had been cut in half. Threepio's speaker mouth had been welded shut and his legs hacked off. The flickering light in his eyes told Jaina that the droid was still operating on some level.

She hesitated as she heard a soft growl coming from one of the bedrooms. Ben's bedroom to be exact. She quickly and silently crept to the bedroom door.  A hole had been cut in the center of it showing that the four-year-old had tried to lock out the invader.

In the corner of the room, Ben Skywalker was curled around a bleeding Binks who was growling at a lone intruder. With a curse, the dark haired intruder flung his fist at the boy and dog, but it stopped in mid-air.

He cursed out loud and swung again. This time, his fist went a little further. Jaina could feel the Force swirling around in the tiny room. Ben's superior strength giving way quickly to the man's superior skill.

Gathering the Force, Jaina lunged through the small opening of the door. Her lightsaber swung in a graceful arc toward the invader. It was no surprise to her when her blade was met with his.

"Xanatos, I presume," Jaina spat as she danced away from the dark Jedi.

"You presume correctly. I see my reputation proceeds me."

"Only that you are sneaky and snaky, and the physical details, of course."

"Such compliments from such a lovely lady. Tell me, do you really like the stuffy Jedi? Do you truly wish to be around the cold and uncaring Jinn or his little puppy dog Kenobi?"

"General Kenobi didn't strike me as particularly puppy doggish."

"Oh, a bit defensive for the old one, eh? You do know what happened to his last girlfriend don't you? Poor Cerasi, he let her die because of his stolid ways. She loved him, and he used her."

"I don't believe you. Besides, even if what you tell me is true, that only affects me on a personal basis, not a professional one. I don't think that Kenobi or Jinn has ever been caught trying to kidnap a child. Your boss, on the other hand, has quite a bit of a reputation that you seem willing to carry on. I'd say you were the puppy dog."

Anger sparked in Xanatos' eyes and their fight began in earnest.

As Jaina backed out of the room she called in to Ben, "Ben, stay here! Don't come out. Try to get Aunty Leia on the comm.!"

"Aunty Leia? That stolid little politician? Like she'd be any help," Xanatos cackled.

"She caught one of you."

"Garen? Don't make me laugh. He was an uninspired padawan and an even more uninspired knight."

Jaina rolled to her left to avoid a blow, "Well her 'stolid' ways allowed me to see through your little speech on how horrible Kenobi was. I bet you thought I'd fall for your smooth talking."

Xanatos grinned and swung down at her lightsaber, igniting sparks that showered in the mostly dark room, "You wound me. I've been told I'm very good at my speeches."

"Yeah, well they were more than likely trying to get at your money. I can't imagine what other assets you might have. Jinn beats you on height and musculature, my grandfather beats you on wit, and I'd hate to break it to you, but Threepio over there beats you on looks."

A roar erupted from Xanatos as he lunged in past Jaina's guard to singe her tunic. As Jaina twisted and jumped over his head, she gauged her opponent. According to Bant, Xanatos had been Qui-Gon's apprentice before Obi-Wan. Given the man's saber abilities, Jaina could easily believe it.

Xanatos had Jinn's strong form with the light agility that Obi-Wan displayed. Fortunately, he also had an ego three times the size of Lando's. Provoking him into mistakes seemed the best course of action. Unfortunately, it also was a very dangerous course.

Jaina spun around holding her 'saber aloft, Xanatos predictably prepared for a block from above. With a sudden shift in her weight, Jaina struck out her left leg landing a solid blow on Xanato's thigh.

He growled in pain as he moved away, "A good move, but a little spoiled. I think you missed your intended target."

"Men! Sith, is that all you think about? There are perfectly good points to hit all over the human anatomy, but still you assume that girls only grab for the hair or the unmentionables."

"Stereotyping are we?" Xanatos taunted as he put the living room couch between them.

"No, venting," Jaina replied as she jumped over the couch to engage his blade again.

A flurry of blade strokes engaged, the bright beams illuminating the dark apartment with only a little help from the outside traffic. Jaina did not know how long they had been fighting, but she knew exactly when she made her mistake. Anakin had repeatedly chided her for over extending her leg when she stepped backwards. It was a small flaw, but a small flaw was all it took. Xanatos came from the same line of training that Anakin came from. It naturally followed that he would see the same flaw.

Xanatos took advantage of her mistake. His leg quickly shot out to swipe hers from underneath her body. She fell ungracefully backwards; her lightsaber rolled away.

Xanatos grinned as he pointed his blade directly at her throat, "An admirable fight. Too bad I'll have to part with your company so soon. I'd love to take you with me and enjoy each other, but my 'boss' wants the brat."

Jaina closed her eyes and immersed herself in the Force as she prepared for her death. As Xanatos pulled back to plunge his blade into her, she saw a golden flash off to her right. Threepio's upper half lay looking at her. Summoning what Force she could, Jaina called C3PO's torso to her.

With a vengeful twist, she clobbered Xanatos on the side of his head. The dark Jedi fell unconscious at her feet.

Sighing, Jaina collapsed down onto the floor to await her mother's return.


	36. War

First chapter = disclaimers

This is a shorter update than usual. I'm trying to get as many of my fics updated as possible. This leads to shorter chapters as I don't have as much time to update.

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Luke Skywalker swallowed hard as he spun his fighter around and fired at the enemy ship. He could feel the Force tingle as the pilot died. It was not a pleasant feeling. It was hard enough living with the fact that he was killing a Jedi every time he blew up a ship. Feeling the passing just made it worse.

For a moment, he envied the ground force. They at least could leave their opponents alive so they could be rehabilitated. There were very few chance for that sort of mercy in a space battle between fighters.

On the other hand, Luke did not have to look in the faces of his opponents. He did not have to see their eyes when they died. In that, he was blessed.

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Several parsecs away, Ani was reflecting on the same subject as he dodged between pieces of space debris. He had followed a tip he had gotten on the underside of Coruscant. The tip had hit pay dirt. The only problem was that there were three Jedi waiting instead of the one he had been looking for.

He had easily dispatched the first one knowing that he would not get the chance to escape. The other two, however, had learned from the first one's mistake and were not exactly allowing Ani any opportunities to reenact the demise of the first pilot. That meant he was using fancy piloting to avoid the blasts of the other ships. With a flick of his wrist, he began twisting back through the space debris. It looked like it was going to be a long day.

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Obi-Wan glanced over at Qui-Gon as they made their way through the empty facility. They could still hear the sound of the fighting going on outside of the building, but the hallways were eerily devoid of their own noise. Of course, most of the Jedi that had been inhabiting the halls were now out fighting on one side or the other, but that did not explain the total lack of people.

 The only thing that explained the silence was a trap, a trap that they were willingly walking into. And why were they walking into it? Because it was who they were. Neither one of them knew better than to regroup and get more support. There had been a time when Obi-Wan would have been cautious and suggested getting help. Qui-Gon had pretty much trained that out of him.

Besides, if they missed an opportunity to take down one of the leaders, they would never forgive themselves. Well, Qui-Gon would never forgive himself. Obi-Wan would probably mope and do penance and then forgive himself.

With a single mind, they entered into the large control room of the facility. Two figures loomed ahead.

Obi-Wan cursed under his breath. Today was not his day.

"So, which one do you want to take?" he tried to make his voice jovial, but he did not exactly succeed. This fight did not bode well for Qui-Gon. One opponent had already killed the man once. The other had been his Master.

"I believe the one on the right owes me a rematch from a previous life. Are you certain you can handle the other, Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan sighed, "I don't have much of a choice now do I?"

"Oh, but you do," came Dooku's smooth voice, "You could simply surrender. You don't really want to harm me do you Qui-Gon?"

"I won't be the one harming you. Obi-Wan will. I have every faith in his abilities."

"Come now, you'd let your old Master die?"

"My old Master died long ago. To tell you the truth, I never really liked you anyway."

"What?" Dooku's voice was a mix of surprise and outrage.

"Why do you think I did such a good job looking serene and impassive? I could barely stand you. As a result, I focused on becoming objective and serene."

Impatient with the banter, Maul launched himself at the two Jedi. Qui-Gon quickly moved to block the Sith's swing as Obi-Wan moved to intercept Dooku.

Maul fought aggressively against Qui-Gon, but the battle was far more even than it had been before. Qui-Gon was not as old as he had once been and the years he had spent mostly deprived of the Force gave him a better grasp of it now.

The same could be said about Obi-Wan. With the major exception that where Qui-Gon had gained strength and speed, Obi-Wan had gained craftiness.  He had hidden from the Emporer and Vader for so long that he had gained a level of finesse in his battle strategy that Dooku did not expect. 

All in all, the fighting appeared very even.

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Anakin grunted as he lunged out of the way of the piece of metal that his opponent had hurled at him. His team had successfully gotten out the Jedi who were not yet brainwashed, but not all of them were exactly helpful. Some were in near catatonic states or were so confused that they could not fight. It did not exactly buoy his spirits.

Tahiri swung around behind him as she deflected the next piece of debris that was being hurled around. According to what Siri had said, before she was separated by her own battle, their tall opponent used to be a member of the council.

Which, of course, meant that the guy had to be really, really good. It was just Anakin's luck. He was beginning to think that the Force hated him. Of course, the fact that they were fighting on a suspended walkway colored his perspective somewhat. Bad things happened when you fought on suspended walkways. Namely, people fell off of them.

He lunged towards the figure and deflected a blow that was aimed towards Tahiri while she swung underneath to hack at the attacker's legs. It was a brilliant move. It did not, however, work. Their attacker merely flipped over them and attacked from behind. Tahiri swirled to protect Anakin's exposed flank. At the same time, their opponent kicked out and hit Tahiri's leg. She flipped over the side of the railing and plunged out of Anakin's sight.

For a second, red filled his vision as rage swelled inside. Ki-Adi Mundi was going to regret the day he ever picked up a lightsaber.


	37. What?

First chapter = disclaimers

In response to the comment left: I appreciate your constructive criticism. I realized when I decided to go with the montage-long scene format that it was a bit tricky. To only have longer scenes when something really important was happening is not a normal style of writing.

You are, however, correct in that the last chapters have been a touch too choppy. I will attempt to remedy this in the remaining chapters.

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     With a small flick of his wrist, Anakin Skywalker was plummeting towards the surface of a small planet. His adversaries followed suit diving into the atmosphere after him. Ani continued spiraling downwards into the planet's atmosphere before he jerked on his piloting stick and flew straight up, zooming between the two pursuers as he went.

    One opponent copied Ani's move; the other was not so fortunate. The explosion of the craft set a small fire in the forest below. The other opponent's ship wobbled as the shock of the other's death reverberated through the Force. Ani, however, had experienced the death of a trained Jedi many times before. He had a half of a second advantage. It was all he needed.

    His blasters sheared off a wing from the other craft. With the force of the planet's gravity pulling on the remaining parts of the ship, the pilot never stood a chance. The starship exploded in a burst of white sparks that showered down onto the already existing fire.

    He circled around the crash site once before taking off to the other side of the planet. With a gentle thunk, he landed his craft down in a small clearing. The trees were different in this part of the world. Instead of the leafy green and blue deciduous hardwoods, there were hearty green and purple pines.

    With a gentle push from the Force, Anakin landed vaulted out of his cockpit onto the squishy ground beneath him. It had recently rained and the earth was sticky from the mud. He would leave tracks. That did not bother him. He did not plan on being followed anywhere.

     Determined steps led him into the large glade next to the clearing he had landed in. He walked for a few miles without any apparent purpose. If one had been watching him, one would have though that he was power hiking or had a mental disease. Yet Anakin Skywalker knew exactly where he was headed.

     With a deep breath, he pulled himself on top of a small ledge. A beautiful blonde stood before him.

"Well, well, Knight Skywalker, what brings you this far from you jail cell?" Callista's throaty voice taunted him.

"Oh, I was simply searching out villainous scum, such as yourself," Ani replied as he stood to his full height.

"I'm hurt that you think of me as your enemy when I am you savior," Callista's face drew into a full feminine pout.

"My savior from what? I was content where I was. You are the one who could not abide the idea of joining the Force."

"You were never fully appreciated. You can't tell me you never wished for a second chance. You, Kenobi, and Jinn all escaped, but you are the one who grabbed onto your new life. You wanted this."

"I grabbed onto a chance for redemption. That is a far cry from asking to be ripped out from the natural flow of life. I lived in the moment, which is what any good Jedi would do."

"The operative word there is 'live' my friend."

"You twist my words, Callista."

"Perhaps, perhaps not. It will not matter in the long run. I will still come out ahead."

"I don't think so. Your little base in Hutt space is being attacked as we speak."

"I know. It will thin out the Jedi into the truly worthy. Don't you think?"

"What do you mean you know?"

"Oh, my friend told me. Didn't you Lando?" Callista said as she turned towards a figure standing behind her.

"Lando?" Ani's voice echoed incredulously.

"Oh, Lando has been a most helpful informant over the past few months. He is, after all, a very wise businessman."

"He won't be for long, and neither will you. You won't lead anyone when you're dead. Not even the Emperor could arrange that."

"Oh, simple, simple Ani. Do you really think I'm stupid enough to attempt to defeat the Chosen One by myself? You see, I've been eliminating my clones over the years. I needed only the strong, the rest are liabilities. I let you and Jinn and Kenobi escape. You were useful. You've outlived that usefulness." 

Callista flicked her wrist and a small device filled her hand. Ani jerked as his nerve endings spasmed and he lost muscular control.

"You might be wondering how. You removed all of the implants, didn't you?" Callista nudge Ani with her foot, "But, you never thought to check your actual DNA did you? All of my clones have a genetic tag that responds to their unique Force signature. I simple send a shockwave through a sample of you midicholorians, and your body reacts with sympathy pains."

"Bitch." 

"Oh, that isn't a nice thing to say, Mr. Skywalker."

"He didn't say it; I did," Lando said as he strode up behind Callista.

"Wha…" Callista never finished her sentence as a blaster bolt nailed her between the eyes.

Ani stared suspiciously at Lando, "Decided you could get a better deal?"

Lando laughed, "Yes, about the time I gave up the Bespin gig and joined the Rebellion. My spies ran into Callista's flunkies a few months ago. I had to earn her trust. Unfortunately, that meant being her virtual prisoner while making contact from her hidden house on this Force forsaken rock. Do you know I had to eat my own cooking?"

Ani shook his head as he pulled himself up off of the ground, "You mean all of those reports you sent us weren't coming in from the field?"

"Nope, they came straight from here."

"Then she knew everything we told you."

"Essentially, but then again, I didn't really know what was going on."

"I don't understand."

"A couple of weeks into this gig, Mara finally recognized some of the signals I was giving her from our time working together. She realized I was being held somewhere, so she started to filter the information I received. In turn, I tried to get as much to her as possible."

"All of which, I would have explained to you had you not gone off on your hero kick," Mara remarked as she came up behind Lando.

"Mara?" Ani asked.

"You thought Lando sneaked up on Callista without some Force assistance?"

"Well, no…"

"Look, I knew Lando was being held. I just didn't know where or by whom. When you started your big mysteriousness, I figured you knew something you weren't sharing and that that something would lead to Lando."

"So, you followed me."

"Yes. Now that we've answered that question, how did you know Callista was in Republic space?"

"I interrogated a few of the captured Jedi that had bad memories of Darth Vader. Then I simply used Obi-Wan's contacts to find out her exact location."

Mara sighed, "See, that is the thing. What contacts? We couldn't trace you."

"Ah, you obviously don't know everything about information gathering. There are three supreme office of gossip: the bar, the barber, and the restaurant. All of these happen to be favorite haunts of Obi-Wan."

"He has a hair thing?" Lando asked.

"Yeah, there's so much of it gets unmanageable. He doesn't like to talk about it."

Mara snorted ruefully, "You mean we spend billions on intelligence when we she be asking Francis the waitress?"

"Actually you would be better off asking Bour-Togh the cook, but, yes."

Lando smiled, "You know I hate to mess up this moment, but don't we have somewhere to be?"

"Indeed we do, Lando, indeed we do," Ani grinned as he started off towards his ship, "I have a trial to go to."


	38. Final Battles

First chapter = disclaimers.

Another late update. 

Cammy: Unfortunately, they do not all snap back as some of them have already been brainwashed to the point where they no longer need her influence. But, with Callista out of the picture, rehabilitation will be much easier.

Ahhh, just two more chapters to go. I think this pretty much finished up al the battles I had going.

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Obi-wan stood defiantly as Dooku circled around him. 

"Are you just going to stand there all day, _Master Kenobi? Your apprentice at least knew enough to join a fight, as I recall."_

Obi-Wan smiled at Dooku, "I don't see what business it is of my enemy what my strategy is. I've always found that the villain is the one who spouts of in grandeur during a fight."

Dooku made a quick slash in towards Obi-Wan's left flank. The blow was quickly parried, and Obi-Wan leapt quickly away twisting above Dooku's had as he did so.

"My, how fancy. Isn't that something you were doing before you got your Master killed? I recall you being much more airborne in your youth."

"I'd say something similar, but I'm not entirely sure you ever had a youth. Tell me, were you born crotchety and old?"

As Dooku blustered at the comment, Obi-Wan slashed viciously downwards and seared Dooku's left arm.

"Insolent whelp!"

Obi-Wan grinned in response and attacked again.

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Qui-Gon, on the other hand was having a totally different type of fight not halfway across the room. Where Dooku preferred finesse and psychological games, Maul seemed to prefer the strategic game of attempting to beat the living daylights out of his opponent.

Qui-Gon blocked blow after blow. Any thrust he used against Maul was quickly parried by the red monster. Neither was giving an inch, and it seemed that the fight would come down only to pure stamina. It was a fight Qui-Gon would have won save for the fact that he had already been fighting for most of the day. He would wager that Maul had not.

As a master, he had always chided Obi-Wan about his tendency to fight with only pure physicality. It was a lesson his then padawan had learned well. It was time to see if the Master was adept as the student.

Qui-Gon quickly shifted all of his weight to his left leg and struck out in a low spin kick with the other. Maul, however, was quick to recognize the attack and jumped up in the air copying the move that Obi-Wan had used earlier on Dooku. The problem for Maul was the fact that Qui-Gon had never intended to hit him with the kick.

With a push of judicious Force, Qui-Gon Spun upwards out of his kick and struck out with his lightsaber. Yoda might have been able to fight without a leg, he doubted his Sith opponent could.

"You know, that is just so against the rules. We cut off hands, not legs," Obi-Wan's voice sounded behind him.

"You cut off hands, Padawan. Besides I always thought your habit of removing those appendages to be disgusting."

"And cutting off his leg isn't?"

Qui-Gon shook his head, "What happened to Dooku?"

"Oh, he got really mad when I burned his arm, tried to use Force lightening on me, and I vivisected him from my uncomfortable position at his feet. You know, he would have won if he hadn't stopped to gloat about me being 'Where I belonged.'"

"DO YOU TWO WORTHLESS THINGS MIND? ISN'T IT A VIOLATION OF YOUR PRECIOUS ORDER TO ALLOW YOUR OPPONENT TO LIE HERE LIKE THIS?"

Qui-Gon sighed, "Quite right."

He skillfully dodged the lightsaber blow that Maul aimed at him as he approached and used his own blade to knock Maul's away. With a gentle push of the Force, he smacked Maul on the head and pushed him into unconsciousness.

Obi-Wan walked over with the double edged blade, "I think we should be glad lightsaber wounds cauterize. We don't have to bandage him this way."

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Anakin seethed internally as Ki-Adi strode oh so calmly towards him. Anger clouded at his vision as he regained his fighting stance. As the ire roiled through his blood, Anakin automatically began to channel it. Mundi froze in his progression when he saw the air begin to crackle around his opponent.

"You have to ask yourself at this point, do you really think you can beat me? Do you really think that you're insignificant weapon can fell the seed of the Chosen One?"

Anakin fairly growled as he stalked towards Mundi.

Shock registered in Mundi's eyes as he registered the fact that there was nowhere for him to go that Anakin would not immediately and viciously follow. Pushing the girl over the railing had been a mistake. The boy had not been as dangerous before.

"Anakin! Help!" Tahiri's voice floated up from below.

The rage in Anakin's eyes faltered. He had a choice, he could either help to save Tahiri, or he could defeat Mundi. The choice, thankfully, was simple.

He drew on his bond with Tahiri to locate her. Without a second glance, he flipped over the edge of the catwalk and began to move towards the ledge that Tahiri had grabbed on to.

Mundi sneered as he grabbed a blaster out of his cloak. It would be fun to see the two of them try to save each other when being shot at while climbing precipices. 

A snap-hiss of a lightsaber registered moments before his blaster was nothing but scrap metal and sparks.

"Nice, that was not," Yoda frowned most solemnly at Mundi, "Pay for that, you will."

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Luke fought off a bout of exhaustion as he maneuvered through another cloud of debris. He had forgotten how taxing an all out space battle could be.

He was about to go after another craft when it blew up in front of him.

A sleek starcraft buzzed by the nose of his x-wing.

"The citizens of the Republic would like to offer their assistance, Master Skywalker," Wedge's laughably pompous voice crackled over the speakers.

"Wedge? What are you doing here?"

"Well after Coruscant got attacked, I managed to convince a few people that you would need help here. I decided to fly out the cavalry myself."

Luke grinned, "Welcome aboard!"

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	39. Discussions

First chapter = disclaimers

A/N – GAHHHH!!!! It has been eons since I last updated. Real Life has tremendously interfered with my writing. Apparently, I have gotten a life without realizing it.

Don't lose hope. I will finish this. See, it is almost done.

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A drizzling rain fell against the window pane as Jaina stared out of her mother's apartment. The first of the Jedi warriors had returned early that morning and had gone almost immediately into the various meetings now being held.

She, of course, was not needed for the proceedings, so she wasn't in attendance. 

"Are you going to stand around moping all day? You know, in my day, Jedi did not mope," a cultured voice sounded from behind her.

Jaina turned to see Qui-Gon smiling at her.

"I thought you were in the meetings."

"I was, but Obi-Wan kicked me out. That whole general thing really gets to his head. Ordering around his poor, old Master like that."

Jaina laughed, "I thought he did that when he was your apprentice."

"Oh, sure, rub it in."

Jaina took a deep breath, "I captured a Jedi named Xanatos. Ani said that you knew him."

Qui-Gon's eyebrow rose, "Is that what he said? I didn't think understatement was in him."

Jaina suppressed her urge to roll her eyes. She swore that if she picked up her dictionary there would be a picture of Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon next to the word "evasive."

A soft chuckle interrupted her thoughts, "You realize that your face communicates your thoughts for you don't you?"

Jaina glared at him. Qui-Gon stared placidly back.

"You wouldn't be here if you didn't want to know about it," Jaina finally said to break the silence.

"Really? Perhaps I just want to interrogate you about your intentions towards my apprentice."

Jaina shook her head, "Well you'll have to get in line for that honor."

Qui-Gon sat down on the arm of the couch. "Very well, I must apologize for his behavior. I suppose I need to know how to make restitution to you and your family."

Jaina felt her mouth gape open as she stared at the Jedi in front of her, "What?"

Qui-Gon's smile turned bitter, "Xanatos was my apprentice. It was my failure as a teacher that led him to follow the dark path both in this and his previous existence."

Jaina rolled her eyes, "I don't know whether you're more of an egoist or a hypocrite. Xanatos got to make his own decisions in the past. And I don't see how you could call this current existence your fault at all. Besides, aren't you the one always yammering on to Obi-Wan about my grandfather? Get over yourself. You and Obi-Wan and Ani and whoever else has a guilt complex. Did you people beat yourselves with reeds in the old Order?"

Qui-Gon smiled, "It sounds simple the way you put it."

"It is simple because it is. Now, if you want to go do some good, go get rid of your guilt, and tell Xanatos to stuff his ego where the sun doesn't shine. Last I checked, he was the guilty party before, and now he is still the same person, even if he was influenced by Callista. When you're done, come back and be a useful Jedi leader instead of sniveling over your past mistakes."

Qui-Gon shook his head, "Well, since you put it that way, I think I might just go and visit my old apprentice. I think I need to tell him something."

Jaina smiled, "When you're done, you might want to tell your other apprentice that he needs to pick up some repentance roses for his girlfriend on his way back."

Qui-Gon looked confused, "What for?"

"Men!" Jaina laughed, "Because he didn't send me a message when he got back."

"But we went straight into meetings…"

"I know that, but I would disgrace my sex if I let him get by with such things."

"You know, I don't think Tahl was this demanding."

"That's only because she was busy castigating herself for thinking about you in such a fashion."

Qui-Gon smiled and backed out of the door, "I think I shall take my leave before you rant on my Order again."

Jaina waved goodbye and turned towards the window again. It looked like a long day.

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Anakin Skywalker slipped silently through the hallways of the new Senate complex. In a surprising move from the President of the New Republic, he had been pardoned. Apparently, public opinion had risen in his favor dramatically.

As the President was up for re-election, it had been deemed a good political move to simply dismiss the rest of Ani's legal proceedings. 

Not, of course, that Ani was complaining about being used in such a fashion. Prison food was even worse than what Obi-Wan cooked, if such a thing were possible.

Ani turned down a corridor and slowed his pace. Just ahead of him lay his goal in haunting the complex.

"Anakin," Ani's voice interrupted the other man's thoughts.

Anakin looked up with a forced smile before he realized that it was Ani and not another well meaning person there to congratulate him. The smile faded, but his eyes held a more appreciative gleam.

"I hear they decided to let you go."

"You heard right, but that isn't why I'm here. Obi-Wan says you've been moping."

"My Master likes to go behind my back."

"He is sneaky that way. Want to share what's on your mind to a sympathetic ear?"

Anakin exhaled slowly and stared up at the ceiling, "You know I miss the old days when it was just you, me, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and Binks. It was all so simple then. So easy. Then, I almost get killed and get this wonderful 'gift' of being able to use the Force fully. Then I get shipped off and meet Lando, and my life just becomes one giant jumble of fights and decisions and everything."

Ani tilted his head to the side, "That isn't what is bothering you though."

A hoarse chuckled escaped from Anakin's lips, "No, it isn't, but it is relevant. I almost went to the darkside. Did you know that? One moment of thinking Tahiri was dead, and I was going to roast that Jedi with all the hate I could muster."

"But you didn't."

"No, but I would have. I'm wondering if maybe I didn't just make the wrong choice. Maybe I should never have tried to reconnect with my family. Maybe I should never have engaged in a relationship with Tahiri. I was a good Padawan. I was a good Jedi. Those words defined me through and through."

Ani shook his head slowly, "They still do, but that doesn't mean that you don't have room in your life for more. Love is always a risk. But it is a risk worth taking. Would you trade the happiness that Tahiri brings you for that simple security of being only a Jedi? No, you wouldn't. Just like I couldn't. Only, you had the smarts to walk away. I don't think you would have turned even if she had died."

Anakin frowned as he replied, "You might be right. But that brings up another question, am I ever going to be able to handle a relationship with Tahiri? I don't know how to be a true family man."

"I'll give you a hint, nobody does. Do you think that Han Solo knew how to be a husband let alone a father?"

Anakin smiled slightly, "The thought is somewhat amusing. Tell me, will it always feel strange knowing that I consider Obi-Wan more of my father than Han?"

Ani choked slightly, "Try having your father figure date your granddaughter. Then tell me how strange you feel."

Anakin grinned, "This whole talk has been about bringing me to my senses hasn't it?"

Ani nodded sagely, "You learn well, young Solo. It has only taken you four-hundred-thirty-eight times to realize the Kenobi always sends me to straighten your head out."

Anakin snorted, "I should get him for that. It is too annoying that he's always right like that."

Ani nodded more earnestly this time, "A capital idea, sir. You wouldn't happen to know any Gungans, would you?"

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	40. The End

Yay, the end has come. I'd like to thank all of you who have been so patient over the last year and some months. A fond thanks goes out to Cammy who has trudged through this whole thing from beginning to end. 

And a hearty apology to those who have waited so long for the final chapter, would you believe I had the first 1,000 words of this chapter written three days after the last chapter posted? I just couldn't seem to finish it.

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With a nervous tread, Anakin Solo paced back and forth in a small room. It was painted with soft yellow and white colors and made to calm, but it did not ease any of his internal energy. His excitement was so great that even Obi-Wan had left, unable to deal with the fidgeting of his former apprentice.

Anakin closed his eyes and tried to focus his attention on something other than the ceremony that was about to happen in a few short minutes.

In the last four months, great changes had gone through the New Republic. Mace Windu and Bant had been put in charge of the rehabilitation of the cloned Jedi who were not yet able to join society. Callista may have had some unusual powers over them that had faded the instant that she had died, but that did not mean that all had instantly been well. Many had had their minds tampered with for so long that they truly believed what she had told them or were mentally unstable.

So, the Republic had set aside a small patch of land on a somewhat isolated planet for the former Jedi to recuperate on. Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and Yoda were busy assimilating the other cloned Jedi into the New Order. 

Xanatos, ironically enough, was finally being subjected to the one thing he had always avoided: a trial. To add to his humiliation, he was in fact, being held in the same jail cell as Ani had been.

Ani, was working closely with the Republic armies to bolster non-force sensitive's defenses should there ever be a need to fight against another insurgence of force adepts.

Lando, of course, was well recompensed for his part in the defeat of Callista and was off investing it into his latest business scheme. Siri had opted to join Lando out near the edges of space as a representative of the Jedi Order.

Jaina, after nearly killing her brother and her grandfather for the Gungans that showed up at her place instead of Obi-Wan's, had made up with the afore mentioned Jedi Master and was continuously confounding him with her female logic.

And that brought Anakin back to his original nervousness. For his next contemplation would be what had happened to him. In a fit of insanity (so Obi-Wan told him) or a fit of genius (as Ani had told him) or a moment of sheer stupidity (ad the rest of the unmarried men he knew had claimed) Anakin Solo had proposed to Tahiri.

It all went downhill after that. Wedding plans, doting mothers, sighing sisters, Obi-Wan glaring at him every time Jaina casually mentioned that Obi-Wan had managed to have three apprentices reach the altar before him, more wedding plans, parties, wedding plans: until it all came down to this day. In a few short moments, Anakin Solo was about to get married.

He was scared witless.

He did not recall being this scared ever in his life. Not when Callista had abducted him. Not when facing certain death. Not when he had to meet his old family. Not even when Tahiri had been pushed over that railing. No, this was absolutely terrifying, for one little "no" would have the total ability to shatter his entire existence.

Obi-Wan, of course, had promptly told his apprentice that he was overreacting and that he should release his energy into the Force.

Bah.

Anakin shook his head. Wait until it was Obi-Wan's turn. They would see just how calm "Old Ben" was then.

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Obi-Wan, meanwhile, was striding over to where Tahiri was finishing her preparations. He almost turned back. As bad as Anakin's anxiety was, hers was worse.

For a brief moment, he regretted ever saying yes to those big apprentice eyes practically begging him to do this. He wasn't quite sure which apprentice's pair of eyes they were. He'd been stuck in a room with all of them when someone casually mentioned that Tahiri was an orphan. Which, of course, meant she did not have anyone to escort her down the aisle. 

It had been a problem of course, but not one that he had anticipated being the solution to. Apparently, the Skywalker gene thought differently. The room had gone quiet and he found himself being subjected to three apprentices' stares. Leia, being the mother of the groom, had been the actual Skywalker to suggest that he should escort Tahiri, but it had been those three pairs of blue eyes that had convinced him to actually say yes. 

Obi-Wan muttered under his breath. He had hated weddings when he was a young padawan running around officiating at them for political reasons. Now he actually participating in one, in some horridly expensive formal outfit to boot. It also had not escaped his notice that it did solve a very pressing problem of the seating arrangements. After all, Han Solo was the father of the groom, but Obi-Wan had technically raised the boy. This whole arrangement was a perfect political arrangement.

And it bothered Obi-Wan because deep down inside, if he had not been a Jedi, he probably would have been a political anarchist for the sheer pleasure of disrupting every boring, pompous, old windbag of a senator he had ever met. At least, that was what he consoled himself with as he walked towards his doom. 

With a sigh of a martyr, he asked permission to enter the dressing room that Tahiri was waiting in, and he found exactly what he had expected. The bride was sitting dejectedly on a stool convincing herself that she was fat, ugly, and that her beloved poopsie would never actually marry her. 

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes up at the ceiling. Every wedding he had ever been to he had had to do the same thing over and over. 

The crux of the problem was that Obi-Wan had foolishly shown an adeptness for convincing the bride to get up and begin her "trip to everlasting happiness," a fact that Qui-Gon had used to his full advantage whenever their missions had sent them to officiate at any sort of bonding ceremony. Thus, he found himself not only participating in the horrid event called a wedding, but he was also having to talk the bride into actually getting married.

Obi-Wan smiled warmly at the dejected soon-to-be bride, "Well, now, what are al the tears about?"

Tahiri looked up at him with big, round eyes, "I can't get married."

Forcing himself not to roll his eyes up the ceiling, Obi-Wan placed his hand comfortingly on her shoulder, "Why not?"

"Because, I'm fat and ugly, and He'll just run away the instant he sees me."

Obi-Wan raised one eyebrow to stare at her. Fat and ugly were words associated with Hutts, but he knew that those were not the right words at this particular moment.

"Tahiri," he began calmly, "You are not fat nor are you ugly, and even if you were, Anakin would love you for eternity anyway. The two of you are going to begin on an everlasting adventure of happiness today. Though there may be sorrow, I am certain neither of you will ever regret it."

Tahiri smiled slightly, "Really?"

"Yes, really," Obi-wan smiled back, "Now, why don't you fix up your makeup so we can get started?"

Obi-Wan patted Tahiri's shoulder again before moving to the corner of the room to wait. Jaina stood quietly near by in her maid of honor dress making exaggerated gagging motions in reply to Obi-Wan's speech. In response, he gave into his long desired eye roll and stuck his tongue out at her.

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The wedding went beautifully after that. Obi-Wan escorted the barefoot bride down the soft velvet aisle to her beaming groom. Unexpectedly, there were no attacks. There were no death threats, and the press actually behaved themselves.

As a result, the reception was even more joyous than normal. Obi-Wan smiled as he watched Anakin dance with his new wife, the soft lighting making them look even more luminous together. A soft tap on his shoulder announced the presence of another.

Turning, Obi-Wan saw Qui-Gon offering him another drink. He grinned and grabbed it from his former Master.

Qui-Gon smiled, "I knew that you would need one. Your opinion of weddings is not exactly a favorable one."

"I believe it is the overabundance of glowing happiness. Look at them, they're practically glowing. It is nauseating."

"Ah, Obi-Wan, surely you don't begrudge them their happiness."

"Never, I just dislike wearing incredibly expensive and uncomfortable robes and listening to sickening speeches that nobody in their right mind would recite except when they are at one of these functions."

Qui-Gon chuckled, "Well, I can see that you are still the same person you were when you were only the apprentice to the most infamous master in the Order."

Obi-Wan smiled, "Was there ever any doubt of that?"

"Hmm, I think there were times that it was heartily wished."

"True, true."

Qui-Gon shook his head, "Seriously now, Obi-Wan. How do you feel about all of this?"

Obi-wan sighed, "I'm not quite sure. Everything has been a whirlwind in my life since I turned thirteen. Then it ended only to get started again when I got cloned. Now I'm running in unproven territory. Siri is off doing Force knows what with Lando. Mace and Bant are off rehabilitating Jedi. Master Yoda is floating between Mace and Luke's council. And you and I have to find a way to live with each other on that council. And."

"And in a few years, you're going to be stuck with another apprentice," Qui-Gon smirked.

"Not only another apprentice, another Skywalker. I think I'm addicted to them."

"Yes well, you are dating one now aren't you? Tell me, Padawan, what would happen if you ever decide to get married?"

Obi-Wan grinned, "I would most likely elope should I ever take that step."

Qui-Gon laughed, "I'm not sure you have enough courage to do something so politically rash."

"I think I do, I've been training Skywalkers for ages, haven't I? Besides weddings are supposed to be about you and your mate aren't they? I think I deserve some selfish desires in that area."

"Obi-Wan and selfish desires? What parallel universe have I stumbled into?" Ani grinned as he swaggered up to the two elder Jedi.

Obi-Wan grinned back, "One with promise, Ani. One with promise."

The End.

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Yes, I know that I probably did not meet all your desires with the ending, but if I had, then we would be having another four chapters and I promised that this would be the last.

If you really, really wanted to see something, e-mail me, leave a note on my LJ (the link is on my writer's page) or put it in the review, and I might do a one shot sequel fic to try to solve something for your satisfaction.


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